


A healer, a pyrokene, a mind reader and a shape shifter

by unbrokengrae



Series: Ataraxia [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Badboyhalo is really clever, Bottom GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Confident dream, Death, Extreme angst, Fantasy, Fluff, Gay, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Greek gods, It’s my hyperfixation and I get to choose the music, I’ll add more tags as I go on, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, Mermaids, Prophecy, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, War, because I said so, does anyone even read these, dream is magic, dreamnotfound, fae, george is greek in this, george is short, greek godesses, greek parthenon, guysss i changed my mind on the smut, i have so many character roles and idk who should be who, magical dream, nervous George, no beta we die like men, original mythical creatures, pls help, this is a series tho so maybe later, war between gods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:46:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbrokengrae/pseuds/unbrokengrae
Summary: When George moved away from his family, away from everything he has ever known, he didn’t expect to be pulled into a war between the gods by a beautiful man with green eyes and magic beyond his wildest dreams.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Series: Ataraxia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181315
Comments: 84
Kudos: 92





	1. kairos

**Author's Note:**

> Okay let’s get some things straight:  
> 1\. I have posted this before under a different name, but deleted, edited and changed the name.  
> 2\. Disclaimer: the content creators have explicitly stated that they are okay with shipping and fan works, and if any of the people featured change their mind I will not hesitate to remove this work.  
> 3\. This goes without saying, but Please do not repost anywhere. Don’t even bother asking for permission, this is the only website I want it on. If anyone wants, i will consider translating it into another language, but that will come later. 
> 
> Anyways, okay so I’m pretty nervous about posting this because, it’s the first fic ive ever written with multiple chapters. I have 13 chapters already written, they just need editing and then they should be out fairly fast. Please be patient, I know this first chapter isn’t much- think of it as a sort of prologue, but the storyline comes into play later, you just have to wait. I really hope you enjoy.

Dream swore under his breath as he slammed to a halt before a bank. He blew a long strand of blond hair up, making a mental note to ask Bad for a cut. He glanced around quickly, trying to find what he was looking for. That would prove difficult as the creature had the ability to turn invisible.

He was on a mission into the city to find new creatures to study and document, before releasing them back afterwards. He was looking for a specific creature, not often sighted anymore, even in its natural habitat. He had had some success, spotting one after only a short while of waiting in a dark and musty cafe. He had gone with somewhere unassuming so that it was less likely his work would be interrupted. He made his move as soon as it was seen, chasing it a few blocks before losing sight. Bad had told him not to go after it. "You need to approach it from a non-threatening angle, Dream. You can't scare it off," she had said. Dream listened to that advice for the span of two minutes, before getting antsy and impatient and giving chase. 

He had paused outside the bank, on a busy street, breathing heavily. He spotted a blue, fluffy, round ball bouncing through a crowd of tourists. "There you are," he growled under his breath. Unfortunately, there was a wide group of tourists across the street and cars were speeding on by without a care in the world for pedestrians. He decided to throw caution to the wind and dashed across the street. No need for lights when you had the impulsiveness of a shoplifter and the patience of a preschool teacher after a week of telling kids that just because the glue is non-toxic, doesn't mean it's edible.  
He caught up to the tourist group and the little ball of fluff, classified as a buffle. His cloak flowing behind him as if it were caught up in a soft wind. It was a still day out, so there was no wind. Just a charm he used to add to the look. He looked at the buffle with a grave expression before leaping up to catch it. Immediately, it flew off, leaving Dream to topple into a passing stranger.

They fell onto the sidewalk, and the people around continued walking, just avoiding the human pile of tangled limbs. Dream let out a string of curses and climbed off the man. His  
Green eyes filled with a spark of anger and hatred for all of two seconds before he sighed, defeated. 

"You made me miss the Pikeltrof. They're an endangered species, you know? And there was one. Right in the heart of this city. And because of your lame ass, I missed it. Thanks a lot. I oughta hex you to fucking Monday and back, so help me Hera," he rambled. He picked up a slip of paper off the ground with sketches of different creatures and random notes that alternated between Gaelic, Latin, Greek, English, and something else that looked like a secret code a kindergartner might have written.  
He narrowed his eyes down at the stranger, who was still sprawled out across the pavement- and looking up at him with about the most contempt he had ever seen on a persons face. 

A small creature with blue and silver scales crawled out of a pocket on the inside of his cloak. It had the body of a shrunken dragon and the head of a kitten. Puffs of smoke rolled out of its nostrils as it glared at the man before them. 

"Chillax, Xander. We'll get the buffle soon. But I can't return to Bad without something. Find me a bug of some sort, preferably with some fur. Come back to me and we'll get it together," he muttered to the creature, not taking his eyes off of the man he had collided with, who had now got up off the floor and was dusting off an expensive- if ripped- looking suit. The animal from his pocket disappeared in a cloud of mist, leaving a damp spot on Dream’s chest.

“Oh well I’m so sorry then!” The dark haired stranger said in a rather whiny British accent, drawing out the o sound in so, sarcasm ringing in his voice. His nice jacket was dirty, and he was all ruffled and dishevelled. “It was totally my fault” he added raising a neat eyebrow as he looked up at Dream. He rolled his eyes a little, dusting himself down with small strokes.  
He had looked at the creature with mixed expressions. There was intrigue in his pretty brown eyes, but his face was no less indifferent than before.  
The man straightened his posture and lifted his chin. He sighed a little, looking up at Dream once again, obviously expecting an explanation. 

Dream's posture was horrible. His shoulders were slouched and his hips were jutted out to the side.  
He tilted his head to look down at the shorter male. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, forest colour sharpened by the harsh light of summer in the city. He could just walk away, but he needed to get the last word in. Besides, he couldn't leave without saying goodbye first. He hated it, but it's what his mother would tell him. 

"It is your fault. And there's no need for the sarcasm. I suggest you fix your attitude before someone gets fed up with it and decides to hex you. Not that I would use dark magic for bad, Hecate," he muttered, hoping the goddess believed him. He hadn't believed in the gods until two years ago when one visited his house in the form of a hyacinth, a beautiful man explaining himself to be a lover of Apollo’s. He compelled Dream to educate himself on matters concerning the Greek parthenogenesis. From what Dream found out, though vague, all was not good. 

He was about to say goodbye when he noticed a cut on the guy's cheek. He poked it with his finger. "Does it hurt?"

Grabbing Dream’s hand with slender fingers, the man’s judgemental gaze surveyed the other carefully. 

“Yes it does.” He muttered. 

Dream was skeptical. It seemed almost like he hadn’t even noticed before Dream pointed it out to him. It was like a ploy for attention. He yanked his wrist out of he brunet’s hand, in favour of taking his pale chin between thumb and index finger, tilting his head back to examine the small nick. 

"Right. So, technically, you can't press charges because I didn't do anything wrong. But I'm a good person and work with Asklepios, so I am bound to hell with that. Which sucks for me because I hate you. Do you mind coming back to my house?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. He didn't want to help him, but if he didn't, he'd need to do some serious praying in hopes that he didn't get some incurable disease for not fixing up the cut. It was nothing a band-aid and some cream couldn't fix. But it could get infected since it was from the sidewalk which people tended to walk on. He almost laughed at the thought.

The stranger parted his pink lips slightly, his eyes betraying the objectified feeling he was obviously experiencing. His sharp brows knitted together, his eyes clouded with thought.  
His thoughts were practically written on his face. He was contemplating the decision, cogs turning quickly in his head. He shrugged. 

“Sure. I can.” He muttered flatly, running a hand through his hair and letting it fall in layers back upon his forehead. He bit his lip, looking up at the other. “Lead the way.” He said, with a bored sigh.

Dream released his chin and nodded his head solemnly. He let out a shrill whistle, so high pitched that a couple dogs barked somewhere nearby, but no one seemed to care too much. There were still plenty of people walking past, weaving around them in a thick crowd. In a puff of mist, Xander was back, this time with a pink, fuzzy insect on his back.

"Good job, Xander," Dream said, addressing the strange animal with a gratified smile. The other was startled by the sudden reappearance of the strange creature. He peered at it curiously, eyes huge- expression morphing from his familiar stoicism to a look of wonder. 

He looked back down at the shorter male. "I'll lead the way. It's in the middle of the woods on the other side of town. We could walk, which would take an hour-“ the stranger looked unimpressed. “-drive, which could take an hour and a half-“ he raised his eyebrows. “-or we could use Xander, which would take two seconds and probably your lunch if this is your first time using transport through water vapor," he explained. 

“Whatever..” his eyes bored into Dream. “Just take the last one I don’t care.” He muttered, breaking eye contact and glaring at the ground.

Dream looked down at Xander. "Is it okay, Xander? Just this once?" he pleaded with the small creature. 

It made a strange noise of acceptance. Dream looked perplexed for a moment before nodding, confusion still evident in his verdant eyes . It was immensely rare that Xander let anyone near him, let alone strangers. He must trust this man. Trust was a big thing with Xander. Xander's trust wasn't to be taken lightly and his intuition was always correct.  
Dream reached out his hand that Xander and the little pink bug were on. He held it out to the man. "Put your left hand on his back and close your eyes. It's also better if you're relaxed. He could sense negative emotions and it could very well mess with the way he transports us."

The man nodded attentively, nerves flashing in his eyes. His cheeks were slightly red aswell, and he seemed more nervous than the arrogant, snarky man he was earlier. He placed his hand gently onto the creatures back and let out a deep breath. 

He was tense, but Dream could see his stiff shoulders relax and as he breathed out gently.  
It happened in a matter of seconds. The world around them grew and everything seemed incredibly off. It wasn't painful, at least not for Dream. They were turning into water droplets. Tiny, spread out water droplets. 

They zoomed through the air so fast it felt like part of them stayed on the sidewalk. 

In seconds, they were over a field of grass and flowers and then a forest. Finally, they dropped to the ground and condensed as solid objects. Dream was only mildly dizzy.  
In front of them was a stream and a wooden bridge that led to a twisting, Rocky path. The path ended at the base of the steps to a small looking cottage. The cottage was quaint on the outside, and looked just like any other in the area. It had simple white brick walls and a sweet thatched roof, vines of ivy climbing up the side- accompanied by lots of flowers that had grown up the side of the building. The front garden was grassy and neat, plenty of trees lining the outside, forming a wood which bordered the grassy meadow. 

Dream turned to the other man. 

”We have arrived."

As opposed to Dream’s rather graceful landing, he had fallen to the soft grass below pretty much immediately. He struggled onto his knees, before bending to the side to up chuck his small lunch. He looked up at the other, guilt written across his face. “Sorry..” he said quietly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He visibly cringed at the smell. “You weren’t kidding earlier on, huh.” He said, a little dazed still, practically sat in a puddle of his own sick.  
Dream looked down at him, annoyance plastered to his face.

"Yes, well, we can't all be perfect our first try. Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?” He said. This was obviously turning out to be more trouble than it was worth for the young man.


	2. kalopsia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream cleans George up and welcomes him into his home- sorta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, uh, this chapter was finished quite quickly- please dont expect all updates to come this quickly. 
> 
> if you enjoy it, please consider leaving a comment, it really motivates me and makes me happy! have fun :)

The taller stranger looked down at George, annoyance plastered to his face. 

"Yes, well, we can't all be perfect out first try. Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" His green eyes were calm, his thoughts protected by the deep recesses of his iris.

George nodded, realising just how much he didn’t want to bathe in his lunch.

The moment he spoke, something came shooting out of the trees. It looked alike to a dragon, however it’s scales looked as if to be made of mottled bark. There was moss crawling up it’s body from the leafy end of its tail. It had small sprouts of leaves protruding from its neck, like a mane. 

George started at the appearance of the dragon, jumping a little, his oaken eyes widening. He had never seen a dragon that big. They were usually private animals, and around Greece they were all very small. 

“Alexander, welcome back," The man said, as if dragons coming up to his property were a perfectly normal thing.  
"Do you need help getting up?" he asked George, who was still sitting on the ground, less than an inch from his previously digested meal.

“Uh.. yeah- that would be good” he stammered through the sentence, accepting the help to stand up.  
This stranger was already proving to make this day one of the most interesting he had had in a long time.

A steady hand pulled him up and began crossing the bridge to the cottage. The man opened the door with a wave of his hand and stepped in. 

It was huge. Bigger than the outside could ever look from any angle. The walls were overrun with ivy and George could swear it was moving, he could see it out of the corner of his eye. When he looked, it stopped. It was like it was growing, but George was so sure it wasn’t. Just moving. 

There were creatures everywhere. Birds of kinds that George had never seen before, a rainbow of beautiful colours and all variations he could ever imagine; small rodent like animal scurrying around their feet, so fast that George needn’t watch his step; large felines that curved, sleek and silent with shiny coats and piercing gazes.  
The most beautiful creatures in the room however, were the ones that George had only ever dreamed of. Faeries and pixies with flickering light and peals of laughter, squat little gnomes that chased one another across the room with grubby little hands reaching out, and many more animals which seemed to be different from the rest. They were strange, none of them were like anything George had ever seen before. Some bore resemblance to normal creatures, but there was always something slightly magical about the aura surrounding them. 

The stranger flushed pink slightly as he looked around. All the animals stopped and stared at them when he entered. 

"Hey, guys. This is... uh... I don't know his name. But he'll be staying here for... however long he needs, I suppose. Please be nice. I'm talking to you, pixies and leffues. No pranks are to be pulled," he said before turning back to look at George. 

"Well, welcome."

“George Davidson.” He said quietly, turning towards the slightly taller man. “That’s my name by the way.” He added, flushing a light pink shade. Back in Greece, most people knew the name Davidson before they even met any of them. Here, he was just another nobody.

The other man tapped his foot against the floor and hummed slightly in response.

"Thank you very much, Davidson. I feel like I've heard the name before. I just can't place it. It's familiar. Hmm... Curious.” 

George didn’t answer the comment about his name, in favour of just nodding compliantly. The stranger seemed to have a talent for conversing with himself, it was rather entertaining to listen 

“ Anyhow, would you like to follow me upstairs. You need a bath, you smell like vomit. I have a robe, if you'd like. Or cloak. I also have clothes, though they might be a tad bit big on you."

George raised an eyebrow at the size comment.  
“It’s only a few inches” he grumbled, having been teased by his siblings relentlessly for being the shortest since he had stopped growing at 14. He folded his arms, looking at the other for direction to a room where he could wash.

The man smirked. "Sure, well, follow me," he said and began leading him through the house. It was like a maze. Some parts of the house were made up entirely of trees. The walls were just branches intertwining with each other.  
Finally, They stopped before a door and tapped it with the palm of his hand. The branches loosened and gave way to a massive bathroom.

George’s jaw dropped. It was magnificent. Not only was he curious as to how the trees grew into such intricate and detailed curls, he was blown away by how large the house was. It hadn’t looked much bigger than 4 rooms from the outside. 

Of course, George didn’t have much experience with magic of any kind, limited to the mischief of the native faeries to Santorini, especially his home town of perissa. 

He looked up at the other man in awe. “This place is amazing.” He said quietly, humbled by how lovely it was. He was quick to judge the other, but he now had a building list of questions to ask.

The bathrooms was large, a high ceiling and a wide window on one wall, however the view was concealed by more of the twisting vines. The bath was built into the dappled marble floor at a slope, and water was already lapping at the shallow end in small waves. The room was steamy and calm.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. I'll leave you here. There are towels around here somewhere. Just make sure you don't touch too many things. Oh! And if you have any trouble, call me. I'll be right outside," the man said before walking out of the room. The door closed behind him and he stood outside, waiting for the other. 

George nodded to all of this and noticed that the water was considerably deeper than before, and was also contributing more to the gentle clouds of steam drifting through the room. He shrugged a little, looking around. It smelled pleasant in there, like lots of different oils and perfumes combining harmoniously. There was a tall bottle of what looked like soap beside the tub so he lifted it and poured a little into the water. 

George stripped down without hesitation. He practically melted into the bubbles, sighing with divine calm. He was never one to speak to the gods but he mentally thanked “whoever was watching him at that particular moment” (as he phrased it) for the spell of good fortune beaming upon him.

Once he had soaked for enough time to smell just as pleasant as the room itself, George rose from the bath, which seemed to begin draining automatically. 'Impressive.' He thought. He grabbed a towel from a stool nearby. The towel was white and fluffy and possibly the softest towel he had ever felt. After drying his hair a little bit, he wrapped it around his waist. He crept towards the door and opened it ever so slightly. 

"Hey, what am i supposed to wear?" The brunet asked quietly. It occurred to him how ridiculous this was. He was in some strangers house, in a towel, for hardly any reason at all. Because of his view on deities, George never really worried about the effects of his actions, just did before thinking.

The stranger turned around and his face and ears reddened visibly. He looked George up and down, and George almost squirmed under his heavy gaze. normally he wouldn't be fazed by what people thought of him, he knew he was attractive, that was no secret, but for some reason he was nervous as to what This man thought of him.

"You can wear..." his voice trailed off as he thought of what the other male could wear. He finally came to a conclusion and nodded his head. 

"Just follow me. I have some clothes in my wardrobe," he said. He grabbed George’s arm and dragged him through the house. Behind them, the bathroom "door" closed up and became part of the wall, disappearing until it was needed again. 

A group of pixies flew by them, whispering random things that weren't understandable. The man looked back at them. "I hope you're not planning anything," he told them before turning back on his heal and dragging George through the halls.

George stumbled after the other, holding the towel so he didn't expose himself.  
"Your house is so big," he remarked quietly, half to himself.

The other shrugged.  
"It's really not. It's just constantly shifting. The halls grow and shrink depending on what's going on. The rooms move around depending on what you need. The house seems to like you. It does not feel threatened by you," he said as he continued walking. 

He reached the end of a hall and tapped the door with the palm of his hand, opening it up. Inside, the walls were made purely of twisting trees. Everything was. The bookshelves, the bedframe, the wardrobe, the chair, the desk. It was all just trees. A cat-like creature sat on his bed, looking at the two boys.

"Kai, this is George. George, Kai," he introduced them as if the creature was on a similar intellectual level at the two people.

George raised an eyebrow, impressed. he could practically feel the magic flowing through the building like a warm draught. another thing that he felt in the aura of the building was love. it was strong, like the inhabitants genuinely adored the house. his eyes widened at the room. it was so pretty, so much more appealing than the drab minimalist apartment he lived in.

Kai walked up to George. Like, actually walked up to him. It was as if they were walking up the air. Soon, their nose was touching George’s nose and they began sniffing him. They turned upside down in a playful manor. The feline creatures owner released a chuckle and looked at him. 

"He wants you to play with him," he said with a smile.

Kai’s pelt was like smoke, wispy. It was definitely not fur. He had some sort of green light shining from his eyes, giving the illusion of a lagging video as it followed his gaze.

George looked unsure. His favourite animal was a cat, but he knew how temperamental they could be, and how you had to be careful approaching them. Kai seemed comfortable enough, so George lifted a hesitant hand to stroke the cat's soft head. he scratched it under the chin, the same way he used to with his family's cat. He smiled at the animal. he shivered a little, suddenly conscious of the fact he was still standing in a towel and blushed a little, warmth spreading across his cheeks.

Kai purred and jumped around in the air. They walked across George’s shoulders and curled up across them. 

Shock bloomed across the face of the other male for a second before covering it up with a grin.  
"He likes you. Which is good because if they didn't you would be faceless," he said.

He walked over to his wardrobe and picked out a simple enough outfit. It had black pants made from cotton and a pale blue woven shirt.

George smiled at the sound of gentle purring in his ear. it was sweet, almost nostalgic, and reminded him of simpler times. he was more attentive towards the cat than the man, fussing about it until it was comfortable and happy. he looked up, and smiled, a little embarrassed. "sorry, your... cat seems to like me" he said with a low chuckle. He took the clothing from him, wondering how he was going to get the cat to leave his shoulders.

"Kai is not a feline, but you can call them a cat if you'd like," the man told him with a smile. Kai noticed what was going on and whined before walking through the air to His shoulders. The trees of the wall opened up to form a small room for George to get changed. "You can get changed in there. I'll get changed out here."

George nodded.  
"wait- im sorry, im in your house, im going to wear your clothes, youre being so nice to me... but i dont even know your name yet," George practically whined. he knew how weird some people could be with giving out their names, something about debt. George knew all about debt, but he really never understood the whole 'giving' your name thing. He ran a hand through his silky hair, slicking it back a little. He gave the other a weak smile. He probably looked like an idiot, but he was attempting to look a little more friendly towards the other man.

The stranger paused for a second. Names held so much power over someone. If someone knew your name they could do different things to you, you could be under their control. It was terrifying to give your true name, especially when you were a witch or someone who worked similarly. 

"You can call me Dream,”

George nodded, smiling a little wider. He knew the other was suspicious of him still, but other than that, he couldn't read anything else from simply an expression. of course, he wasn't quite as experienced in witch craft or anything really concerning magic. George shrugged a little and began pulling on the shirt. his mind was drawn back to the job interview he was supposed to be at at that moment. honestly, he didn't mind missing it, it wouldn't have been a very enjoyable or rewarding job anyways, but it did mean he would probably have to go without hot showers for a while. He would call his mother for a loan, but he knew that if his father found out he would be very angry, and George didn't want to put his mother under that kind of pressure without him being around to protect her from the fiery rage that his father possessed.

George heard some noise outside, but nothing too loud. There was a shout from Dream, but it didn’t sound panicked or angry. He supposed it was one of the magical creatures they had passed, many of them had been weirdly quiet so far. He pulled on the trousers, pleasantly surprised to find that they were a soft cotton material, not the scratchy, formal pants that he usually wore.

George left the closet, sauntering into the room. he held himself as elegantly as he could muster- he was used to dressing in more formal clothes, more form fitting ones too.

The stranger looked him up and down and smiled.  
"The pants are a bit long, but that's alright. Come, I want you to meet my family," he said. That must have been the noise George had heard, because he hadn’t thought the man even lived with anyone, let alone his family. 

He grabbed George’s hand and dragged him through the house, running quickly down the stairs and into a new room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg omg, you get to meet sap and bad next chapter!!! in fact, the next two are definitely my favourites!
> 
> please comment, maybe kudos- maybe even bookmark :0 have a nice day :D


	3. oneiric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George meets Sapnap and Badboyhalo, and learns a few new things in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhnnnghgh new chapter go brrrrr fast update 
> 
> anyways im going to start being more and more informal with my authors notes *gag* because no one reads this shit so i might as well have fun with it right? okay anyways enjoy the chapter or whatever, please leave a comment, theyre highly appreciated and i reply to every single one, pinky promise

There were two boys in the room. One was not far from Dream’s height, and rather slim; the other was shorter, and seemed to have a bit more muscle mass. 

Sapnap turned his head as they entered, flicking his black fringe out of his eyes, and squealed happily when he noticed George. Bad hung back, grey eyes thinned with a smile.

George flushed red, suddenly more insecure than he thought he was. Dream looked at him from the side of his eye, smirking at how uncomfortable he seemed. He obviously didn’t meet new people a lot because he was squirming like a criminal under interrogation.

Sapnap rushed over to him and pinched his pale cheeks.  
"He's so adorable! Is he what you brought me? Well, obviously not. You're too selfish. You just wanted to show him off and then keep him to yourself. Can we keep him?" he asked, batting his long lashes. 

Bad walked over to him and pulled him away a bit by his arm, slender fingers with chipped plum nail polish wrapping gently around the fabric of Sapnap’s shirt. 

"Hello, George Davidson. It's a pleasure to meet you. Excuse my friend, he loves meeting new people," Bad said calmly.

George smiled a little, flushing a darker red at the excited boy’s words. he was a little taken aback by the other. 

"how do you know my name?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, a little alarmed. He didn't have any memory of meeting him previously, and the closest he ever came to being even slightly famous was when he modelled for a small clothing company when he first moved away. Dream grinned at him.

"It's just part of my path of magic. I am able to read certain things about people and a few other things. It is not as big a deal as being able to talk to animals," he said, nodding his head in Dream’s direction. 

George’s brows shot to his forehead, he didn’t have any experience with people with magical abilities. In Greece, if you had magic, you moved to a bigger city, there was no question. “That’s so cool..” he breathed quietly. 

"Or controlling certain elements." he tilted his head towards Sapnap. "But it can be quite useful. So, are you going to stay with us for dinner? Sap’s an amazing chef and loves to cook, and Clay has this beautiful garden," he said. Dream looked at his feet, heat spreading to his face. Now George knew his real name. You would think that your mind-reading best friend would know to use your alias in front of strangers, right?

George smiled at the boy, he seemed really nice. He felt a surge of confusion about the name Clay being dropped but he didn’t let it cross his face, just smiling a little. He looked at Dream, with a slight flash in his eyes, a sign saying that ‘we would talk about it later’. 

“If that’s okay, I would love to. I’m a little worried I overstayed my welcome, you see.” He said quietly, smiling politely- he put on his best ‘model’s smile’ for them, trying to make a better impression on the other two than he did on Dream.

"Oh shush!" Sapnap said. "You and Dreamie can go collect the food for dinner and Bad and I will prepare some things. Do you have any allergies? Gluten? Sugar? Mint? Slryon? Groplis? Masra? Lamb? Butter? Milk?" he rattled off.  
Dream looked at George shyly. He knew his friends could be a bit much. He was sort of embarrassed about it.

“Uh-“ he paused, trying to recall if he was allergic to anything. One of his brothers was allergic to shellfish, but as far as he could recall, he wasn’t allergic to anything major. “Um, well I usually don’t eat gluten, but that’s a choice not a necessity so if it’s too inconvenient, I can eat pasta and bread and stuff.” He rambled.  
He made eye contact with Dream, silently sending a plea for help. He didn’t really know what to say, no one in his family was this hyper. They were all reserved and quiet, and didn’t speak to one another unless they needed to. Especially in the months leading up to George moving.

Dream glanced at him and turned back to Sap. “Sap, stop, you're scaring him. Don't worry, George. He's only talking about bread. He's been making this recipe for two days and is excited to finally bake it. We also have biscuits which are great with butter and jam. Slyron is always good for tea with a bit of mint. We'll find those in the garden. If you don't eat meat, we have salad and stew. But lamb is delicious so you might want to try it. But that's alright. Come with me to the garden. We could feed the animals as well," he said as he pulled George out of the kitchen.

The man hardly had time to process all of the information thrown at him before he was following Dream from the room, grinning like a dumbass at the two boys.  
“Are we going to the garden?”  
George mentally kicked himself for asking such an obvious question, but he didn’t quite know how to start a conversation with the other. He picked at the cut on his cheek, which was now really a scab. It was only a small nick and normally he wouldn’t touch it so it would heal quicker, but he felt himself doing it as a kind of nervous tic.

"Yes, we are. Don't make any sudden movements, keep by my side at all times, always wear the gloves I'm going to give you, don't put anything in your mouth, and for the love of Zeus, don't go near to south west corner," he said. Some rules sounded like kindergarten rules, but he'd made those mistakes before.

George raised an eyebrow at all of the rules, but tried his best to commit them to memory. He was a smart guy, but he also had the tendency to think he had the right to do the opposite of what he was told. 

He entered the garden and looked around in awe.  
For what seemed like the 100th time that day, his jaw dropped. “Holy shit. This is so fucking cool!” He said.  
The minute they stepped outside, he understood why Dream had to tell him not to touch anything. Because now he wanted to touch everything. It was all so colourful and vibrant and he wanted to feel each texture under his hands. 

The two entered a small clearing, thick foliage overhead and all around. It seemed more private than the rest of the garden- like a whole other room, due to the wall-like bushes forming a circle like shape around a bank of grass and a deceptively shallow looking pool of water. The pool was bright blue and the floor was covered in shiny crystals and flat stones- he could tell it was very deep in the middle only because the stones were harder to see. 

They left the clearing through a gap between the thick bushes, and George could see far more. There was a rolling lawn of emerald green, with a small pond and a few marble statuettes littered around. The statues were classically Greek in make, and stylised in a very specific ancient way. There was a small stone platform in the middle of the pond, with pillars forming a circle. This was the largest section of the garden, open and bright. 

In one corner, there was a small stone tunnel, and it wasn’t visible from where they were standing what was through it. 

He was immediately drawn to the one corner Dream had forbidden him from going, and he reprimanded himself mentally. This corner was darker than the rest. The plants were all more exotic, larger leaves and darker in colour. There was more stone there aswell. It seemed to slope downwards sharply towards the area. There was steam rising from a few cracks in the ground, and a blue light glowed from the general section. Perhaps there was some feature that made it so much more enchanting than the rest.

As they walked further across the lawn , the creatures of the garden looked up at them. A little creature, about the size of a teddy bear, scurried up to George. It was a guffle. It was rather round, and fluffy all over. The fur faded into feathers to form tiny little wings that didn’t seem to serve any purpose. It’s feet had tiny claws and it had a beak, but it also had a very long tail. It was a mottled brown colour, and it had amber eyes that smiled without smiling. A very adventurous creature who often got into trouble because of how curious it was. Dream looked at George and smiled. "Pick it up. It cannot fly despite having wings, so it buries itself underground and has a general distaste for being higher up than other creatures. Very humble if you ask me," Dream said. Guffles were probably the most friendly creatures there. They didn't bite or snap or anything and were the perfect companion. Witches often used them to deal with mental illness as they had the capability to calm people down. They were also loyal to a fault and trusted people very easily.

George bent down into a squatting position, and patted the little animal on the head. He picked it up like you would a baby, hands under the arms and plenty of support behind the head. He smiled at it, giving it a scratch behind the ears. “It’s so cute..” he said quietly, making little cooing noises at it.  
He looked up at Dream with a smile. “What got you into this whole magical creatures thing?” He asked. He knew vaguely that Dream had magic in relation to animals, but the explanation was so brief that he didn’t really understand. The only magical person he ever really met was a girl called Niki who could levitate, but only a few inches off the ground and only for a few seconds at a time. Besides, she moved away almost immediately after her parents found out about her power.

Dream shrugged his shoulders. "I am not quite sure. When I built this house with Sap and Bad, it just sort of attracted creatures. I wasn't about to turn them away. They'd been living in the forest longer than I have, some have lived here longer than the city has been standing. So I welcomed them in, or, more likely, they welcomed me in. And we just sort of grew with each other. Mutual respect. Besides, it's a safe haven for many of them. They are not hunted down or stalked by any creature, humans included. So they stay here. And I kind of felt drawn to animals, so I began helping them. Many of the ones here were previously injured. I healed them. Soon enough I discovered that I was able to talk to them. You will only hear me speaking English, but I am currently speaking Latin. And now Gaelic. The animals hear me in their own language," Dream explained.

“Wow.. that’s awesome.” George said quietly, fussing the satisfied looking Guffle in his arms. “Do you all have powers? You and your friends?” He asked, genuinely intrigued. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so interested in a person. He was still looking around at the many creatures running around. Some were playing with each other, dancing, chasing each other. The atmosphere was so calm and secure, and somewhere a gorgeous melody sounded. It made George want to follow it.

Dream put a firm hand on George’s shoulder. His grip was tight. "That is a siren. You are safe here, but the closer you get the harder it will be. If I have to, I will get you ear muffs. This may be a safe place for magical creatures, but they are still just that. Creatures. Not humans. I love them all with every piece of me, but some are quite dangerous. They would never hurt me. But you are new," he said. His voice was stern and so incredibly honest and sincere. "Now, to answer your question, Sap can control the elements. he helped with the walls of this home. Bad knows things. His patron goddess is Athena, so it's sort of self explanatory. Its like mind-reading but he cant really control what he finds out. Most of the time, he doesn't need to be told names and stuff. It's amazing."

“You guys are incredible. It’s so cool to have all of these powers. But... you might have to elaborate on patron gods and goddesses later. I grew up in a very atheist household. In fact I would even go as far as to say acosmic. My father never really believed in anything, and therefore neither could we.” He said with a dry chuckle. His father meant well, but he was a bit insensitive to other people. That’s probably where George got it from. 

“Anyways,” he said, changing the subject from family. “What are we out here to gather?” He said with another small smile. He knelt down and placed the guffle gently on the ground, giving it another pat on the head gently, it skittered off into the more vegetated areas of the garden.

“We are here to pick Slryon and Masra. They are both in this corner so we don't have to hunt or anything. They grow in the ground, close to the trees," Dream said. 

“Okay,” George said quietly, he looked towards the other, paying more attention to Dream. It was only now that they were standing in close proximity that he realised that there actually was quite a few inches between them. Ouch. That was certainly a hit to his ego.

"Alright, follow me," Dream said as he started walking. He reached a tree and crouched down next to a plant. He stroked the leaves gently before picking them off. It was a way of saying thank you to the plant. He found it rude, taking without showing gratitude. Besides, most plants took that as an offense as well, so it could be dangerous. "This is Slryon. You bake it and crush it before you use it in anything because it can be toxic. It's mainly used for tea, though sometimes it can be used for healing when mixed with the proper ingredients. You need to bake it at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. They do not catch fire very easily so it's a perfect balance," he explained.

“I didn’t know about all of this. the only plants we grew when I was younger were grapes in the vineyard- and my brothers and I weren’t even allowed anywhere near it.” He said briefly, looking closely at the plant. He grinned at Dream, standing back up.

"Not even olive trees? Figs? Oranges? Lemons? Huh. I've always found it hard to live without plants," he said, mainly to himself than George. George thought about the garden back home- the well maintained land looked after by the gardener George had been childhood friends with.

"Alright. Now we need Masra. It grows closer to the water," Dream said as he began walking over to the mossy brick tunnel. As the two of them passed under the damp stones, gentle light filtered through a glass ceiling in a large round room. There was a massive lake in the middle, and various plants around the outside and climbing the walls. It obviously served as a kind of greenhouse- and also a room for animals who needed a higher temperature or more room underwater. The lake was a dark shade of green, and obviously very deep in the middle. There was a muddy shore along one side, where the water lapped gently on stones and shells- on the other side, there were stone platforms of various heights and sizes, and even a thin stream of water flowing from one as a makeshift waterfall. 

A mermaid-like creature swam up to the edge of the lake and pushed himself up. “Dream, it has been awhile," he said, his voice was rusky and sort of old-sounding.  
"I came here this morning, Techno. Time is different for you. Remember," Dream said, sitting at the edge of the lake.  
"Aaah, yes. Time, what a funny thing. I see you have brought a friend. George Davidson. What a miracle it is to meet you."

George blushed at the sight of the merman. He was beautiful, and made his stomach flutter. It was strange, he was never one to be nervous, but he wanted to make a good impression on all of these new people he was meeting. 

The merman had pale skin, but it was shiny as if it was covered in a coat of glass. He had iridescent pink hair that cascaded down his shoulders and graced his eyebrows in a messy fringe, and piercing blue eyes. the slope of his nose was very sharp and it was slightly upturned at the end. There were tattoos of strange black symbols and pictures all over his body, and he wore a few various necklaces on which hung charms and shells. 

He smiled, flashing sharp teeth and George could swear he saw tusk-like canines. “Nice to meet you. I would introduce myself, but it seems you already know my name,” he said, averting his gaze to the ground. Usually he wasn’t the one feeling intimidated when meeting people.

Techno smirked at him and glanced at Dream for a split second. "You are very handsome, George from the house of Davidson. I assume you are aware of this though. Tell me, what is it that you are doing here with Dream. He is always so lonely, only hanging out with his roommates and a... What was that word you use to call them?... pirate? Yes, that's it. What are you doing here? He doesn't ever let people in the garden," Techno went on.  
Dream nearly snapped his own neck. "It's all very well, Tech. We just need Masra. Sap and Bad are making tea and stew. Can you fetch it for us?" he asked.  
Techno made a low grumbling noise from deep within his chest but disappeared below the surface quickly before coming back up with the Masra.

George blushed at what he assumed was a compliment, still processing the conversation. Dream seemed to not want the conversation to continue, which was perfectly fine with George because he didn’t know if he could form words at that moment. His mouth had gone dry and he felt lightheaded, he didn’t know that anyone could be so charming and suave. Considering he thought of himself as charming and suave usually, this was a little embarrassing and he took a slight step back from the edge of the water.

When Techno resurfaced, Dream took it from his hands, said thank you, and stood up. He turned to George and looked at his hands- which were by then holding the now sleeping Guffle- it had ran after them and George had picked it up as discreetly as possible, in case Dream didnt want it around. "Great. Now you'll have to eat dinner with him on your lap or something. We typically don't like creatures at the tables. But we'll make an exception.”Dream said flatly. "Follow me," he said as he began walking out of the garden, holding both the Slryon and the Masra in his hands.

George looked down at the little animal and smiled. He followed Dream, but still turned his head over his shoulder to look back at the captivating smile of the merman. He shivered slightly at the eye contact, and turned back around to follow Dream. He tickled the guffle and since it had woken a moment ago, it was making delightful little sounds like peals of laughter that rang through the air. It was a mixture between the chirp of a small bird and the meow of a timid cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay george no need to be gay for techno the hot merman- might fuck around and make a separate gogy x tech one shot when this fic is over? lmk if youre interested :0
> 
> the next chapter is my absolute favourite, please stick around :D 
> 
> p.s. comments are pogchamp :")


	4. parea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george gets to know the others, and vice versa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dude two vchpaters in one night? score!! 
> 
> okay no joke ive been so excited to get this one out- its definitely my favourite so far!! you get some background info, a little context for the story, and even a little humour!! 
> 
> hope you like it! p.s. this chapter is actually not at all proofread, so if you spot any mistakes let me know!

They walked into the kitchen where Sapnap was pulling two loaves of bread out of the oven. Bad was working on the lamb and the stew simultaneously. Well, sort of. He was focused on the lamb, but used his magic to stir the pot. Sapnap put the bread down an turned to them. 

"Thank Saturn! You were there for hours! I was wondering when you'd come. Oh! George! You got yourself a guffle! How cute!" he squealed. Bad was still focused on his cooking but decided to add her two cents in.

"What were you doing there? Did Techno hold you back? I assume he would. George is pleasant to look at. Lake dwellers are so materialistic sometimes."

George blushed a little, nodding, holding the cute little animal on display towards Sapnap.  
He turned towards Bad and nodded, 

“yeah. Your garden is beautiful by the way.” He said, addressing all of them. He smiled, looking over at Dream. He had an odd look in his eyes, like he had just awoken from a wonderful dream and was trying to remember every second of it. It was so strange, every fibre of his being itched to go back into the garden, to experience the immense peace he felt when he was there. The whole house was so lovely, it made him never want to leave. Of course, as soon as this thought crossed his mind, he also grew suspicious. These people were magic after all. And they work in strange ways. He wondered if they would take advantage of him eventually. To be perfectly honest, he did owe them. But even so, he almost didn’t want to take any more from them, not to deepen his debt

Yes, their hospitality most definitely could have come off as suspicious. There was always more to it than what met the eye. 

Dream’s family came from a long line of witches and magic folk. They had been working with the gods for ages. Which was why they had been one of the first families to know about the growing tensions between a group of powerful witches, warlocks, and demons, and the gods. 

This might not have been important with George, had it been for the very clear signs that he was special. Like the fact that all the creatures just somehow accepted him. That wasn't a normal thing. That's why Dream never invited too many people over. Yet they had accepted him. It was strange. 

Bad looked George up and down and knitted his eyebrows together skeptically. "Do you have heterochromia?" he asked him, his gaze looking into his eyes, not blinking at all.

George blinked at him, raising and eyebrow in a slightly comical fashion.  
“Hetero-what now?” He asked, looking at him like he had three heads. 

The kitchen was aromatic, smelling strongly of cooking, an intricate mix of herbs and spices, and most distinctly that wonderful smell that a home has. 

He smiled awkwardly, averting his gaze in favour of looking back at his guffle, checking to make sure it was comfortable.

"Heterochromia. Your irises changed colour. They’re blue. They were brown before. And you're not standing in the sun light, which is, however rare, the only thing that could possibly make that happen. Hmm... It doesn't matter.”

George listened to the other explain it, and then was confused when he simply shrugged it off. This was weird. His eyes had never changed colour before, that he knew of. Perhaps it had happened but no one cared enough to notice. He reasoned with himself mentally, coming up with reason after reason for why they might look blue. 

Bad continued to speak, unbothered. “Dream, set the table. Tonight, after dinner, Sap and I were thinking we could go into the town. It'd be lovely. It always is at night. It'd also be nice to show George around, yes?" he said, turning back to the pot.

Dream grinned and nodded happily. "That sounds wonderful, actually. I heard there was going to be a play in the town square. It'd be really nice to go see it. How does that sound Georgie?” he asked, teasing the nickname on his tongue as he walked over to the cupboards and took out clay bowls and plates.

George simply nodded and smiled, tight lipped as he blushed a little at the nickname. He didn’t quite know what to say. He was excited by the prospect of exploring, but he didn’t even know what he was doing here. He should be at home. Home. The more he thought about it, he didn’t really have one of those. The apartment in the city was ugly and dirty, and too expensive for what it was. The villa in Greece was as much of a home as it was an igloo. 

He was worried about overstaying his welcome, offending the three people. Maybe they wanted him to leave already and they were just being polite. The discussion inside his head was too loud, so he occupied himself with stroking his little guffle gently so it didn’t wake.

Dream began setting the table with everything. He set up a chair and everything for George. Sapnap was slicing the bread and grilling half of it on the stove with homemade butter. She didn't know what George liked when it came to bread, but Dream loved grilled bread and butter. It was his favorite. Though, Bad preferred it plain and simple. He didn't like it too crunchy. Sapnap preferred it without crust, so for one fourth of the plain bread he cut off the crust and put it in a bowl to give to some of the creatures. 

"So, where were you guys? Were you in town or did you go to the city?" Dream asked.

"We went to the neighboring town to buy some gems and stones. Sapnap tried picking a fight with Connie. You know? The dwarf guy. Three feet tall."

Dream smirked. "Like George.”

Bad just shook his head. "He's five eight. Be nice, Dream.”

Sapnap butted in with a whine. "I did not try to pick a fight with him! He tried to rip us off!"

George sat down, the guffle in his lap. He didn’t really know what to do with it. He didn’t want to put it down, lest it cry, but it was also hanging on to his sleeve pretty tight. He tuned in to their conversation just enough to catch Dream’s three feet tall remark. 

“Hey!” He whined, pouting slightly. “That’s mean,”

Really, he was rather entertained by their conversations, they were all full of personality and fun to watch. His siblings were lovely and all but none of them were this animated.  
In fact, he wasn’t used to this much lively chatter. He was more used to ‘silence at the dinner table’ and ‘speak when spoken to’ mannerisms. He usually tried to keep quiet, but naturally he was a person who had a lot to say.

"Exactly, Dream. Words hurt," Bad said.  
“Sap, stop giggling. I apologize, George. Really, they don't have any manners. And speaking of what we did today, how did you two meet anyways? Why did you bring him home, Dream?” he asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"He stopped me from catching the pickeltrof! And when he fell to the ground, he demanded compensation for my actions. He told me it was my fault," he said, stretching out the "y" in "my". "Can you believe that? My fault! He was so cocky and arrogant and cute and he thought he was the greatest thing to ever grace my presence! Can you believe him?" Dream exclaimed, glancing at George and winking slyly.

Bad looked over at George, deadpan. "Is that true, George? Really, I would never dream of believing Dream on the first try. He—"

"Are you calling me a liar?!"

George listened to their bickering with a small smile spread across his face. His pale cheeks reddened a little at what Dream was saying. He was going to say that Dream’s account of the story was far exaggerated, and that it was technically his fault, but settled for a shrug and a coy smile. 

"You two are always trouble. Why did I ever decide to live with you two?"

Sapnap scoffed. "You say this every day. And every day the answer is the same. You love us and we love you. Besides, the gods would tremble on Olympus if the dates left us unwatched."

Bad chuckled. "You are right about that."

It was sweet really, the way they argued amicably, so very sibling-like of them.  
He smiled warmly at Bad, who caught his eye again, before he looked back down at his lap to where the guffle had resumed its snoring.

Bad sighed and smiled. "Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm your mother instead of your friend,” he said with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “George, I am so happy you are here. But I swear, if you end up like these two, I might have to retire from being all of you guys’ friend because I do not, will not ever, have the mental capacity to put up with another of these lot. And I swear it on Athena spear, I will never put up with your bullshit. You seem like a smart enough fellow, if you turned against me, we may truly have a problem," he said with a smile. There was a twinkle in his eye that might have once been mistaken for a reflection of light, but was so much more than that. 

Dream pouted. "But you can't retire from us. Who would be our pass into Elysium when we all die together. And now that we have George, you can't leave us! Because he's never going to get into Elysium the way he is now. All seductive and charming and asshole-y. He'll get us sent to Tartarus!" George could swear he just heard Bad say ‘language’ under his breath. 

George hardly understood any of what they were saying. He had a basic knowledge of it all, from school, but other than that he just smiled when his name was mentioned. He did, however flash a quick smile at Bad. He seemed slightly more reserved than the other two, and more grounded, and he knew that they would get along well.  
He did, unfortunately, understand that Dream’s last statement was less than a compliment to say the least.  
“Asshole-y?” He said, smirking. He was surprised to hear Bad utter the word ‘language’ quietly again- it was definitely there this time. 

“Dream! This is why your only friends are your roommates. You do not call new people assholes," Sapnap said, though he didn't seem surprised. he was actually about to bust out laughing. It was practically set in stone. George was there for good. No getting out of it. 

"Hey! I have friends!"

"Yeah? Who?"

"Well, there's fu—“

"If you say punz, I'm gonna carve out your tongue with a spoon. punz is a guy you hooked up with one time, left on read, and nearly attacked the moment he said something about you being gay because of your moms. You were not friends, were never friends, will never be friends," Bad said.

"I was gonna say.. uh ponk.”

"You don't even know a ponk”

"Yeah I do!"

"Who?"

"Mr. ponk from Social Studies."

"He was your history teacher in sixth grade!" Sapnap exclaimed. 

"He was still nice."

"He got arrested for an armed robbery two years ago," Bad added. "Nice only lasts so long, I suppose."

George was silent throughout the discussion, an amused look on his face. He decided to rub salt in the wound a little as he nudged Dream gently. 

“So.. got any other friends” he said with a laugh, looking up at him through his lashes. He looked away, in favour of smiling at the other two. He straightened his back after realising he had be slouching a little, pushing his shoulders back into a more controlled posture.

"First of all, loosen the fuck up. No one cares how you sit. Second, I have plenty of friend. For instance, ever have a mermaid suck your—"

“Dream, we are about to have dinner, will you shut up about your weird fantasies with Techno. George, dear, don't listen to him. He’s never done anything with poor old Techno. He's just trying to brag. He's like a five year old. Teasing you because he like you."

"I do not!"

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. And Achilles didn't like Patroclus. We all know how that turned out."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Why on Earth would I do that, when I could bother you instead."

“Sap! You have to do something!"

"You're right," Sapnap responded. “Bad, I completely agree."

"I hate you both."

"No, you don't."

George opened his mouth to argue back to Dream, but the others seemed to have it covered. He simply shot him a smug look, laughing a little at his annoyance. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but Dream was certainly very good looking, and he would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn’t at least a little bit attracted to him. 

“Do you guys need any help finishing preparing for dinner?” He asked, desperately wanting to make himself useful. Not that he could do much what with the little ball of fluff and feathers curled into his lap. He ran a hand through his hair. 

Bad had already played the lamb and was now just waiting for the stew to cool down slightly. Sapnap had finished with the bread and setting it up nicely. he turned to George and smiled.

"Can you bring this to the table, Dream,” he said, looking back to Dream. 

Dream groaned. "Why can't he do it?"

"Because he's a guest. Besides, he has a guffle in his lap. He's not doing manual labor anytime soon," he responded with a smirk. 

Dream got up and retrieved the dish and set it down in the middle of the table. He leaned over it and looked George daringly in the eyes. "I will have my revenge, Davidson,” he said, trying to put on a mean sneer but only managing to keep a straight face for two seconds before having to stifle a laugh.

George stuck his tongue out at the blond male before breaking out into his own light laughter. 

“Yeah, good luck with that,” he said, laughing at Dream. 

George took in a deep breath through his nose, the smell of fresh bread pervading his senses.  
“It smells and looks incredible by the way,” he said with a genuine smile sent towards Sapnap. It reminded him of when his brother made bread once. It was a disaster, he almost set the kitchen on fire, but he rekindled the memory with a sad smile, looking down at the table with blank eyes.

Dream noticed the change of tone in George’s face. "Hey, cheer up. You're gonna flip when you taste Bad’s cooking! I can't wait to show you the town! It's beautiful! There's a small bookshop there with so many books I— I don't even know. It's my favorite place in the whole world," he said with a sigh. He sat down across from George and grinned at him. 

Bad brought over the stew and Sapnap helped bring over the lamb. He also brought over clay cups and a pitcher of fresh spring water.

George snapped out of the daze and looked up at him with a genuine smile. “That sounds amazing. I can’t wait.” He said, biting his lip out of habit. He waited for the others to serve themselves first, he didn’t know what was customary in their house. He wondered if they prayed before their meals like some families did. Even so, he wanted to wait until everyone was ready before eating. 

He looked at the two in awe. “This really does look incredible by the way.” He said, impressed by their cooking skills. The most he knew was how to make an omelette, if that. And it hardly ever turned out right.

His foot brushed Dream’s under the table and he gave it a slight kick, smiling innocently at him.

Dream hooked his foot around George’s ankle and began sliding up his leg. He did all this while keeping a straight face. 

Bad looked at them and sighed. "You guys can go on ahead. We already gave offerings to our patrons. Though, Dream, you really should try to remember to be there for Hecate. She loves you and all, but she'd still smite you if you irked her," 

Bad said as he picked up bread from the platter. Sapnap had already served himself some and was slurping away at the stew. Dream was piling his plate with bread. He looked at George. "Go ahead. No one cares what you eat like. Just don't do it like a prissy little prick."

George reddened a little, but kept quiet, instead of reacting, he began serving himself. He made sure to take a nice helping of stew, he hadn’t had it homemade in years, and a cut of lamb with some bread. The food was some of the best he had ever tasted, and he ate a small serving, clearing the plate. He placed the cutlery neatly on one side.  
His cheeks were pink, and he twisted his ankle to gently kick Dream’s again.

Dream only let his foot travel up his leg until it was hooked under George’s right knee and pressed up against his left thigh. He looked him dead in the eye and smirked before winking. 

George flushed a deeper shade of red and wondered how George was managing to stay completely stoic. 

Bad began talking about how things were going at the University, he was studying math, though Dream never cared enough to ask him the specifics. Like what on Earth made him choose math of all paths he could take. It was for Athena. Sapnap began discussing what things were like in the town. Skeppy and fundy, the owners of the pub, began selling more than just beer. Sapnap said he wanted to try something with kick.

George listened attentively to the other’s chatting about anything and everything, it was very interesting to hear about their lives. He had many questions for them, but those could wait. Why was Bad studying math? Where did they grow up? What did they all do for work? He smiled to himself. He was smiling a lot more today.

Dream smirked at him. “Guys, George doesn't even know what you're talking about," he said, glancing back at George as his foot raised higher and higher until it was touching his stomach right above his crotch. 

Bad cleared his throat at him. "Will you two stop playing footsies under the table at dinner, please?" he said, making Dream’s face suddenly turn red. George reddened further, if that was even possible at that point.

Sapnap giggled and turned to George. "Tell us more about you," he said, leaning towards him.

“Uh..” he cleared his throat. “Well.. I was born in Zakynthos and lived there until I was 4.” He paused, trying to recall. They moved around a lot, just hopping in a boat to a different island more times than he could count on one hand. “We moved to Santorini when I was 7, after hopping around for three years.” He paused again, collecting his memories. “My dad owns an internationally successful wine business. And uh.. I guess that it.” He said quietly, shrugging.

Sapnap and Bad nodded their heads, Dream smiled at him. 

Bad looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows.  
"So, what do you want to know about us? Hmmm... Let's start with us. Sapnap and Dream are pretty much adoptive siblings, they grew up together. I came along later on. Their mothers worked as witches in the same hospital. That's probably where Dream came to work with Asklepios. We've know each other our whole lives. Those two are crazy, honestly."

“Wow that’s amazing, I can’t imagine knowing someone for that long, unless you count parents, which I really don’t.” He said with a dry laugh. “I’m sort of close with one of my brothers. But definitely no where near as close as you guys.” He admitted. George admired how relaxed and happy they all were. They all seemed content to just be with each other.  
“Thankyou for the food by the way. It was delicious. One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time,” he said, grinning at them.

Dream was sort of surprised at this. He couldn't imagine not being close with people you had grown up with. Bad frowned for a second but Sapnap showed the most emotion out of all of them. "I'm sorry. Well, you're sort of stuck with us now, love. Better luck in the next life, hopefully," he said with a smile and a playful grin.

George nodded, with a brief look at Dream. “Yes, thankyou. That’s reminds me.” He paused, taking a breath. “Would you be expecting any kind of payment? I don’t have very much money at the moment if I’m honest, and I can always pay with labour, but i’m not particularly strong..” he rambled for a moment before trailing off. “Sorry..” he added quickly.

Bad straight up snorted at his comment. "Payment? Hon, does it look like we need payment. No, like Sappy said, you're stuck with us. You're our friend now. So good luck with that. It'll teach you never to bump into overly friendly strangers with even stranger creatures hidden in their pockets. You'll regret it soon enough," he said with a laugh at the end. It was clear he was joking around.

George smiled, looking down, a little ashamed to have even brought it up. He looked up at Dream, and bit his lip gently. He was unsure of what to say. It was ironic really, he was usually so confident and smooth, it was like a different person. He thought back to the garden and Immediately felt more relaxed. It was so pretty there. All of the animals, and the merman. Besides, he was still curious about the forbidden corner.

Soon enough the others finished with dinner. Bad looked around the table. "Alright, let's clean up and then we can head to town, yes?" he said. he stood up and began collecting the plates and cups. he put them in the sink and then went over to getting the soap and water to clean the table. he left them by the table and looked to Dream expectantly. Dream sighed. With a wave of his hand the towel was cleaning the table and the brush and sponge began washing the dishes. It was like the places was being cleaned by ghosts. It was only magic.

“Hey.. uh.. what do I do about the guffle? I don’t want it to be upset or anything?” He asked Dream. The animal was still asleep, content in his lap. He ran a hand through his hair, blinking a little. He thought back to Bad asking him about heterochromia earlier. George brushed the though off and looked up at Dream helplessly.

Dream smiled at him. "Just place it on the table, real gently. it’ll wake up and return to the garden,” he said.

George did as Dream said, making sure the animal was comfortable before standing up. 

Dream stood up and, with a snap of his fingers, the broom began sweeping. Sapnap looked at him and glared. "You're just showing off. You don't do any chores when he's not around," he said.

"is there anything i can do to help?" George asked, smiling earnestly at Dream. he didn't know any magic, but he did know how to wash dishes and other housework. George grinned at the thought of going to the town, he was very excited. he was hoping it would be just as picturesque as the house, if not more. his eyes (now brown again) glinted with excited glee.

Dream shook his head. "No, I've got it covered. When we get back I'll show you around the garden. It's beautiful in the southeast corner," he said. Sapnap gave him a look but dropped it. Dream never invited anyone in the southern half of the garden. 

His stomach flipped at the thought of going into the garden again, it was most definitely his favourite place in the world, aside from apparently next to Dream.

Bad walked out of the kitchen and down to the entry hall. He picked his cloak off the hook by the door. Sapnap followed after and did the same. Dream took George’s hand and rushed after them. 

George was slightly taken aback by the grasping of his hand, but he squeezed the hold even so, flashing a smile at Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey can u tell that gogy has abilities too? ;) can u guess what they are?
> 
> pls leave comments ;( i love them so very much


	5. alexithemia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group visit Skeppy and Fundy in the pub and hear a rather concerning prophecy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i might get another chapter out today?? idk?? like i have 12 chapters written, and only 5 edited so im not so sure.
> 
> anyways, this one is pretty important to the story line so pay attention lol- it is wayyyy shorter than the others though so you may or may not get another later on aha. ngl bit of a cliffhanger but thats your problem not mine lmao- yell at me in the comments ig

Dream picked out a midnight blue cloak with golden runes on the sides and handed it to George. He himself put on a black cloak with a golden rim. Bad looked at the two of them. He rolled his eyes. “Dream, you know what happens when people wear that cloak. It was a gift from Aphrodite. You need to be more careful handing it out. It's bound to attract attention," he said, looking sternly at him like a parent. 

Dream rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's fine."

George blushed a little, embarrassed. “I don’t have to wear a cloak if you don’t want me to,” he said, holding it instead of putting it on, hesitant due to Bad’s comment.  
He smiled awkwardly, unsure about what to do. He didn’t want to wear it if Bad didn’t think it was a good idea, he would be fine without.

Dream stomped his foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum. He turned to George. "Put it on. It's fine. Bad will just be jealous because if we're going to the pub, Skeppy will be all over you and Bad really has it for him.”

"I do not!"

Sapnap scoffed. "Come on. You love Skeppy and he loves you. You two need to get together. It's honestly sad."

Bad rolled his eyes and turned to the door. "Let's just get going."

George swung on the cloak around his shoulders, keeping silent. He smiled a little, it was quite endearing how they bickered amongst themselves.  
He grinned at Bad, hoping he wasn’t too offended by him. He honestly didn’t mean to piss him off, he only meant well, especially because he was trying to be less obnoxious, and more of a people pleaser.

Bad looked at George and rolled his eyes. "Can you believe these guys. I do not like Skeppy. Besides, I will always outshine you," he said, laughing after it to show it was a joke. Dream chuckled and Sapnap let out a bubbly giggle. Bad turned on his heal. "Let's go," he said with a smile.

George grinned, and nodded. “You’re right.” He said. He followed them out the door, and looked back at the cottage, still in awe about how small it looked from the outside, when it couldn’t be further from it. He was still so impressed by the magical powers that the three all held as a group. It was incredible, still, especially to George who had next to no magical experience previously.

Outside was the forest, lit up by floating with orbs of harmless fire. It was beautiful. Everything looked enchanted and magical. Even the trees that were perfectly normal when they arrived. The river was flowing steading, glowing blue and silver fish swam through it peacefully.

"Alright," Bad started. "Are we walking or flying?"

George stiffened his grip on Dream’s hand a little at the mention of flying. The disastrous events of the morning came flooding back and his stomach turned a little. If they flew, he was hoping it would be a much more pleasant experience. Of course, he was still a little nervous. It’s not like he had ever flown much, even in an airplane. Between islands in Greece, you took a boat or you didn’t bother going.

Dream noticed the tightened grip, but he really wanted to show George how fun flying was. "Let's fly!" he said with a smile. Bad raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Sapnap took a pin that was clipped onto his white bandana and held it in his hand; Bad took one that was clipped on his hood. The golden pins grew until they were broomsticks. Sapnap’s was pitch black, while Bad’s was more simple and just a normal broomstick. Dream removed a pin from his shirt sleeve. It grew into an obsidian black broomstick wrapped in golden vines. He turned to George. "You can ride with me!"

George’s stomach churned, and he smiled nervously and nodded. He trusted Dream at this point, but he didn’t trust him not to mess with him as a joke, so he was nervous. He was also excited about the prospect of flying. 

“What do I do..” he whispered, completely clueless. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself at all. He was still gripping Dream’s hand, before realising that he should probably let go because Dream might need both hands to fly.

Dream held the broom out and released it, leaving it to hover in the air. He swung his leg over the side and sat comfortably on it. "Take a seat behind me, and wrap your arms around my waist. Hold on tightly," he said. Sapnap and Bad were already on and flying in circles around the two guys. "C'mon guys! We've got to get there in time for the show!" Sapnap called down to them.

George climbed on awkwardly, Wrapping his arms around Dream loosely, hesitant. He didn’t know how tight he really meant, leaning his chin on Dream’s back just under his shoulder. “Is it fast,” he whispered, trying to not think about how high they would be going: it was unsafe really.

Dream scoffed. "Tighter," He said as the broom shot into the air until it was above the trees. In the distance, the city could be seen. It was sort of peaceful looking from there. On the other side of the forest, if you turned your head, there was a town that was lit up with fires and people.

George almost screamed as the broom sped up, and his grip around Dream tightened enormously. He was flat against his back, clutching on for dear life. His eyes were shut tight, knowing that if he looked down he would probably fall off.  
Of course, that didn’t stop the long string of expletives that escaped his lips, hopefully quiet enough not to be annoying.

Dream chuckled at George’s reaction. "Open your eyes, Georgie. See the world below. It's so beautiful," he whispered, letting his voice be carried off in the wind. He glanced at the two ahead of them. "We'll go slower now than we usually do. It's a nice night. Let's enjoy the air," he said. He leaned forward ever so slightly and they began moving. It was fast. It was like driving down a highway with no traffic.

George squeezed possibly even tighter, gritting his teeth. He opened his eyes and let out a small squeal-like noise.  
“Can we slow down a little..” he mumbled, a little dazed by it all. Dream was right about the view being pretty, but George was more focused on the fact that they were like 400 feet up, if not more.

Dream nodded his head and slowed his broom a little bit, Sapnap and Bad were still racing along on theirs. At one point Sapnap stood up on his and rode it like a surf board.  
Soon enough they were at the edge of the town. Smells wafted through the air and music from so many different areas rang out. It was beautiful and excitement rolled off of Dream in waves. He landed the broom after Bad and Sapnap- who jumped off of his.

Dream hopped off as well, taking George’s hand as he too dismounted with as much grace as he could muster. He stumbled a bit on his landing but was otherwise good. The broom hopped into the air, shrunk into a pin, and fell into the palm of Dream’s hand. He attached it back to his collar and looked at George. 

"First is the pub. We need to check up on the town gossip. See what's been going on. Then we can go to the theater house. They're putting on a play. Other than that we can do whatever," Sapnap said.

George smiled. "that sounds amazing." he said, looking around at everything. it was such a pretty town, quiet and romantic. the entire place was gorgeous, much like everything he had seen that day so far. there were identical houses, all attached by the sides. each one was as pretty as another, they were all made with dark wooden frames, contrasting with the gentle off white walls, illuminated by the soft glow of yellow lanterns hanging from every door. the cobble road stretched round the corner, and Levi could tell that most of the outside streets were probably identical to this one. it was cozy, without being too inclosed, and they could see the stars shining not far above them.

"its so pretty here," he breathed quietly. he almost asked why it was so quiet, but he knew that would change as they walked further in.

Dream noticed the quietness as well. He looked at Sapnap and Bad. Sapnap shrugged his shoulders. Bad looked at him and furrowed his brows. "The pub," he said and began walking into the town. The others followed quickly behind. Dream grabbed George’s hand and walked after the two. He was sort of on edge. "You'll love it," he whispered to him.

George gripped his hand gently, stumbling after Dream. he smiled. "i know i will," he said, looking around at the street as they walked. just like in the garden, he was looking around so quickly, his eyes flitting from place to place, trying to take everything in at once. briefly, the thought of his apartment occurred to him. Sapnap and Bad obviously thought he was staying with them long term, he wasnt so sure about Dream. he was sure, however that he had things that he needed to get before he could stay with him. especially because his landlord would be pissed about late rent.

Bad led them through the streets of the town. It was relatively quiet. Some people looked at them through windows of colourful little shops and narrowed their eyes suspiciously. “Sap, Bad, what do you think is going on?" Dream asked. Bad stopped in front of the pub. "Prophecy," was all he said before stepping in.

A boy was sitting at the bar as another swept around the room with a broomstick. He was jogging his leg quickly on the barstool, and looking around in nervous anticipation. He turned his head to look at the new comers. “You three, and.. someone new. Pleasure to have you here. I assume you already know what's going on?" he asked, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

"No, we don't, Skeppy” Sapnap respond.

Skeppy sighed sadly. "The gods have gone silent. I'm surprised you don't know, Bad.”

Bad shook his head. "I've known they would soon enough. I just didn't know it would be so soon. Summer Solstice is right around the corner. They shouldn't be this quiet."

George stayed silent and stiff. All of the talk about the gods, was far beyond his comprehension, so he reflected the solemn mood in the air. He had expected a more lively atmosphere, but it was tense, one might say awkward even. He stuck close to Dream’s side, fingers still entwined with his. He was glad of the cloak he had accepted, the pub seemed to be colder than the outside. He supposed it was just air conditioning. He looked down at the floor, not expecting much to happen.

a tall boy with scruffy ginger hair and a vague smell of beer, vinegar and fire smoke who George assumed to be Fundy grinned at the group and ushered them in. "Alright, I'll bite. What is this prophecy?" he asked. 

"Carved from stone  
Of fires from old  
Brought to the Garden  
Of the Healers home

"Daughter of Knowledge  
Shall see the end  
If Friendships choose  
Not to mend

"When Hell rises  
From his endless sleep  
It shall cause the gods  
To weep and weep

"Only if Perfection  
Decides to fight  
Will Life preserve  
And show it's might," Skeppy recited from memory. He grinned at them. "Lovely isn't it?"

From what George heard, it was a fancy bit of poetry. The last time he listened to poetry was when he was still in school. It was strange really. He knew prophecies existed, but usually they were just a scam from a junkie trying to get money from tourists on the Vegas strip.  
He looked up at Dream, who seemed focused. George wondered if he should have been focusing too, but even if he had been, he still would have been blinded to the meaning behind it. He really wasn’t as smart as he should be.  
He still hadn’t let go of Dream’s warm hand, but there weren’t any complaints on either end so he didn’t.

Bad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked back at Dream, whose face was blank at the moment. He sighed again. "Do I seriously have to explain this to you?"

Dream nodded his head. "Yes, you do."

“Hera help me. You are the healer, Clay-“ Dream flinched at the use of his real name- this must be serious. “-You are the healer with the garden. George is literally perfection, especially in your eyes. Athena is my patron goddess, and Phylotes, the goddess of friendship, is Sap’s patron goddess. This, Clay, is why we don't like having people over. Because the moment some muffin with the name George enters the garden, we're all screwed!” he exclaimed. That was the first time Bad had ever flipped out at him. Ever.

George jumped a little at his tone of voice. It was more aggressive than he had heard before from the calmer boy. He averted his gaze, and his ears burned with shame for something he didn’t even fully understand. He didn’t want to get inbetween them and make it worse, but perhaps that couldn’t be evaded from what Bad had said. His expression dulled . Whenever his father got mad, he would set his face to indifference so that he wouldn’t cause any more trouble by having his thoughts written on his face. It was completely blank, so much different to how George had looked around Dream previously. He looked up at him, his eyes a little glossy.

Dream pulled George to his side and put an arm around his shoulder. He tried whispering something in his ear but his voice was carried away by a horn being blown. It was loud and sounded through the town. Outside, doors were slamming shut, lights were being turned off. From the other side of the town, screams echoed all around.  
Skeppy looked at the group. "Get behind the bar," he said sternly. He didn't even have to raise her voice. Bad and Sapnap leapt over the bar and crouched down. Dream yanked George down behind the bar with him. He looked at him and kissed his cheek. "It'll be alright. I promise. Everything will be alright," he whispered over and over again.

George’s stomach dropped at the noises erupting all around. His mouth was dry. 

“What’s going on?” He whispered, his eyes round with confusion and filled with fear. His brows knitted in confusion and his eyes- which were now an exquisite shade of chartreuse- darted around.

“Dream..” he said quietly, linking his fingers with the other man’s again.

Dream just held him close. He didn't want to let go. He should've known this was coming. He should've known. He was brought back to the time his mothers came home from work and looked at Sapnap, Dream, and Bad with such weary looks that Dream almost cried. That night, he heard his mothers talking to a stranger. He had assumed it was Mama’s Ex husband, but he should've known better. The guy never really visited them. He still didn't know who it was. But the discussion was serious and his mothers had argued about it in the morning. He didn't remember what it was about until now. It had been about him. 

“Georgie, my dear, it'll be alright. I promise. You just have to trust me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on a serious note, george has two siblings who play a pretty big role in the story and i have no idea who they should be LMAO
> 
> im thinking tommy and tubbo because their personalities kinda fit the way that ive drafted them lol. before you say wilbur, i already have another part for him in this so im a bit stuck. karl also appears pretty soon btw!!
> 
> anyways, please help me out in the comments ;(( idk what to do! (feedback is also appreciated- or even theories for whats going to happen would be epic)


	6. zephyr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George battles the feeling of uselessness while everything happens around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies, this one is hella short- im pretty busy atm lol
> 
> i decided that George's siblings are gonna be Tommy and Tubbo. just to let you know, his dad ia Schlatt and his mum is unimportant to the story so she doesn't have a name lol. i was gonna make his siblings tubbo and wilbur, but i need wilbur for something else :/
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoy this, its pretty low effort compared to normal, but the end is pretty important so it doesn't really matter ig

George nodded, his brows set into a slight frown. Whatever was going on, it certainly wasn’t good, but there was no use in him panicking about it. He couldn’t change what was going on, only comply with what Dream told him to do, and keep alert. He steadied his slightly shallow breathing, and looked over at Sapnap and Bad to make sure they were okay, along with the Barkeepers. 

Dream had aquired a distant look upon his face, and his eyes were dark with deep thought.  
George was thankful, however for the verbal reassurance. It was comforting, more than just what he could tell himself.

Dream hugged his knees to his chest. But the moment the door slammed open, he was up in a flash. He had taken something from his pocket, a crooked sort of stick. He pointed it at the people who just entered. His first instinct was automatically to protect George, though he wasn't sure why.

George cowered slightly behind Dream. He felt so helpless and useless, and from what he heard and could understand from the conversation earlier, this was partly his fault- even if he didn’t know why. He held on to the hem of the borrowed cloak he was wearing, lips parted in slight shock. He didn’t say anything for fear of being heard, even though he wanted to ask so many questions. His lower lip quivered, and he willed himself not to start crying.

A burst of white light filled the pub and Dream flew back into the shelves stocked with whiskey, wine, bear, rum, and a million other alcoholic beverages he didn't know the name of. He let out a string of curses and hopped right back up. His nose was bleeding and a bruise was beginning to form on his cheekbone. His hand was bent in an awkward, painful angle, but he looked alright other than that.

George had to lift his hands up, as shards of glass rained down. He wanted to help, but he seemed to have a a knack for making things worse. If he hadn’t stopped Dream from catching that creature, none of this would have ever happened.

“Dream!” He yelped. His wrist looked like it was badly hurt. He looked over at Bad and Sapnap, who looked like the were in defensive positions, but still mostly hidden from sight.

Sapnap slapped a hand over George’s mouth. "Shut the fuck up. They are here for you, George. He's protecting you. Don't give yourself away," he said sternly. It wasn't intended to make George feel like it was his fault. "He'll be alright. You have to calm down," he whispered softly.  
His breathing quick and shallow, George nodded, green eyes wide.

Dream threw curses and hexes and a couple dozen insults at them until finally there was a final flash of blue light. It filled the whole room and Sapnap covered George’s and his own eyes. There was a slam of the door. Dream slumped to the ground and wiped sweat off his forehead.

The moment Dream was back at their level, George crawled over to him, ignoring the glass shards on the floor and took his injured wrist in hand.  
“I’m so sorry,” he said, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “This is my fault,” he said, voice wobbling a bit.  
He lifted a hand to wipe the blood away from Dream’s upper lip, which was trailing steadily from his nose. “I’m so sorry,” George repeated, looking down at his knees, a small tear rolling down his cheek.

Dream leaned in and kissed the tear falling from George’s cheek. He then kissed his forehead and brushed the hair from his face. "it is not your fault. It was never your fault. Do you understand? I'll be alright. We'll be alright. I promise," he said softly.

Sapnap stood up from behind the bar and looked over at the two. "Listen up, lovebirds, we've got to get back to the cottage. We'll stay there for the night, come back to town in the morning, and go from there."

The brunet haired man nodded, his cheek hot where Dream had kissed it gently. he looked up at Sapnap as he spoke, nodding. He intended to ask them to explain some things to him when they got back, otherwise he would continue to fly blind-which obviously wasn’t okay anymore. his stomach twisted with the thought of what was to come. hadn't Bad mentioned dying earlier? he didn't know if he was ready for that quite yet.

Dream helped George up and clutched him tightly to his chest. “its okay“ he whispered in George’s ear. "It'll be alright." He pulled away slightly before taking his hand and turning to Bad, who was making out aggressively with Skeppy against the open door frame while Sapnap not-so-subtly stalked them, eyeing the two with what looked like boredom. Bad turned to face them. "Alright, my little ducklings, I'm hyped up on adrenaline right now so let's leave before I murder each and every single one of you because of the bullshit you put me through. Not you, George love. You've done nothing wrong."

George grinned at Bad. He seemed to have kept a level head on. 

"hey.. so i was wondering.." he paused. "i know it might not be the best time, but do you think we could make a quick trip to my apartment and back?" he mumbled.

Bad stared blankly at him for five seconds without moving a muscle, pulled Skeppy onto his lips again, and then looked back at George. "The world as we know it could end in less than two days and you want to take a trip to your apartment to do what? Collect clothes? Tell your landlord you might die in a week? No. We are going home, going to sleep, and you could say goodbye to your old life now in your prayers cause you are never getting it back," he said.

George shrugged a little. He was a bit taken aback by what he said, but he had a knack for ignoring important things, so he pushed thought of dying to the back of his mind. and ignored it. he gripped Dream’s hand tighter. He thought about his family, about how he would probably never see them again. he should warn them about the whole world ending thing. but he didn’t even know where he would start with that.

They landed in front of the cottage and Sapnap was the first one in the house. The second was Bad. However, Dream held George back. He looked firmly into his eyes. "I will make sure you stay alive," he promised. It wasn't even a suggestion, there was no room for debate. It was simply a fact he was stating, not allowing it to be anything less.

George nodded. He pulled him into a tight hug, furious that that was something they even had to establish. he leant his chin on Dream’s shoulder, breathing gently against the other's neck. his eyes were watering a little, but he blinked it away, it would do no good to cry. He pulled away again, after a moment of bliss.

Far away from where they stood, trouble was brewing in Greece. Everyone could feel it. The locals were out far less. Even the tourists felt the negative energy. 

Somewhere in Santorini, a short brunet boy was running back to his villa, with news like no other. 

“Mum!” He yelled, bursting through the grand double doors. He was hit by a blast of cool air, the air conditioning on full. 

“Mum!” he shouted again, rushing into the kitchen, a wild grin on his reddened face. 

“George has been told!” He practically shrieked. “The prophecy!” He whispered. He knew that his father could not hear what he was saying. His father didn’t know anything about magic, let alone that his family possessed it.

The boy’s mother looked up. 

“It’s about time,” she remarked, concern broadcasted on her face. “Would you like me to make contact or do you want to do it, dear?” She looked awfully calm for someone who’s son set in motion what could be the end of the world. 

The brunet, Tubbo, brightened a little. “I will, mum.” he said, grinning. He understood what was going on perfectly fine, but that didn’t stop he from being excited to see George again. They hadn’t spoken in ages. 

He too, possessed magical abilities. He was able to communicate telepathically with people, however, he had yet to meet someone who could do it back, so usually it was a one sided message. Besides, he couldn’t do it much, it wore him out. 

He screwed up his face, shutting his eyes tight. Intense focus came over his. George was much farther away than anyone he had ever spoken to like this. He pictured his face in his mind, and imagined him receiving her exact message. He felt the strange zap, a tingling feeling all over his body, and knew the message had been sent successfully, if a little unclear. 

His mother smiled, and Tubbo looked at her and nodded. Just as well. Her father had walked in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked it, please theorise in the comments ;) i wanna see what people think is going to happen!! 
> 
> yeah, bye lol


	7. meraki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George receives Tubbo's message but is waylaid by a demon in the form of truth.. or lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha so funny story, but i actually thought i posted this two days ago and i didnt, so have it now
> 
> im not really satisfied with this chapter (its really fucking short lmao), but its picking up now. the storyline is gonna get more exciting soon, i promise

Dream looked at George and stepped back a little bit. His face lit up. He didn't want to go back inside, so he wasn't going to. He could show George the lake outback. The lake outback with the creatures that sang and danced in circles and loved life. It was always Dream's favorite thing to watch. Everytime it never failed to bright his mood. He took George's hand and led him through the winding path to the back of the "small" cottage. 

There was a lake, quite a large one at that, in the middle of the backyard. The water seemed to be glowing blue and silver in the light of the moon. Dream had never before seen it like this. He was so excited. The cottage was reacting so well to George’s presence. But there was also something quite sad about it. Dream was remind that if he wasn't careful, he could lose all of his magical friends. Like the dragon that lived in the middle of the lake.

Inside the house was a different story. Bad was packing up bags. Most of it was dried fruit wrapped in parchment paper, coins, both local and foreign forms of currency, a map, and same weapons. Sapnap watched him worriedly as he did this.

"Bad, do we really need all of this?"

"Sap, you have known me since forever. I always prepare just the right amount. I hope you didn't expect this quest to be easy."

"I didn't expect this quest to happen at all."

"Well, that was your very first mistake."

George followed him, eyes sparkling at the sight of the lake. It was unlike any body of water he had ever seen before. His smooth skin shone under the moonlight, and he looked over at Dream. George was overcome with a strong urge to kiss him. 

Before he could make a move however, he felt cold rush from head to toe, as if he had been drenched with water. It was the strangest thing he had ever felt, but he couldn’t think of anything but his Brother’s face. His mouth started moving, and he was blinded to anything but her. “You need to come to back Greece.” Tubbo said. “Please,” 

Dream looked at him and almost shook him before he saw George's pretty brown eyes, which were glazed over and slightly brighter than usual. 

And then Tubbo was gone, and he was back with Dream, looking around with wide eyes. “What the fuck..” he mumbled.

When George came back to his senses Dream was almost right on his back, demanding answers to his questions. But he refrained. "So, uh, did you see anything?" he asked, shifting his feet a bit.

George blinked a little. “My brother..” he muttered. “He wants us.. me back in Greece.” He paused. “How did he even do that..” he thought aloud. He met eyes with Dream, puzzled.  
“I suppose we should probably go to Greece.” He muttered, a little put out by the thought of seeing his family.

Dream looked at him and grinned. "Greece is far away, but it's a brilliant place to start. Besides, it'd be cool to meet your family. Well, your brother at least. I assume he has powers. He might be a witch, or maybe just some one with a gist. If you trust him, I'm sure it'll be alright," Dream said with a smile, trying to reassure him.

George shrugged a little. “Sure. Whatever.” He muttered flatly, looking at the ground. He turned to walk back along the path into the cottage. The lake was beautiful, but his mind had now turned to other things. He wanted to know how his brother had done that. He wanted to know why he needed him in Greece. He huffed a little, looking back at Dream.

Tubbo had quickly left the room, grinning. He ran up the stairs, making as much noise as seemed possible. He felt so energised, way more so than usual. He burst into his brother’s room. 

“Hey!” Tommy snapped, glaring up at her. “Get out of my room,” he said, standing up to shove Tubbo back out. 

“He knows!” Tubbo declared, sitting down on his brother’s bed. “He’s coming home!” He said, beside himself with joy. Tommy shrugged a little.

Dream pouted. "No need to get all pissy with me. I did nothing wrong," he said as he started down the path. He walked past George and into the house. Bad and Sapnap were sitting in a reading nook off the stairs, sort of floating in the air. They looked down at Dream as he entered. "How was the lake?" Bad asked.  
Dream only shrugged.

George followed him through, back inside. He could feel a headache coming on, the kind one gets in the back of the head. He was stood very still, Looking up at Bad and Sapnap. He sighed a little.

“We have to go to Greece.” He said quietly, hoping they would be fine with leaving. He certainly didn’t want to go alone. Honestly, he was contemplating not going at all, ignoring Tubbo’s message. If it was so urgent, he could have at least told him why.

Sapnap and Bad stood up and began walking down the stairs. They were walking side by side, perfectly in sync. Dream narrowed his eyes at them. They reached the bottom and walked towards the two men. 

"Why do we need to go to Greece?" they both said, perfectly in sync, their voices merging together. Dream put an arm across George's chest, pushing him pack slightly. "Who are you?" he asked.

Dream glared at George and signalled for him to be quiet. He turned to the girls, who began turning into some sort of sludge that melted to the floor before beginning to take form together. It was terrifying, at least for Dream. It hurt seeing them melt into this monster of organs and black, gooey matter. But he tried to remind himself that this wasn't them. 'But it could be,' a small voice rang in the back of his mind. Those did look like their organs, not that Dream had seen too many of their vital organs, but they looked as if they would fit in their respective bodies. But it didn't matter what he told himself. It still hurt to see it happen. The voice that came was more of an inside voice. Dream didn't hear it exactly, but he knew what it was saying, even though it made no audible sound. He wondered if George could hear it. It was a demon. A real demon, not the ones from the Bible or children's books. It was a demon of truth. 

Truth demons were vague, as Truth often was. If it was not shared by more than two people, it was incredibly hard to understand it. It was even harder if the person didn't want to hear it. Truth demons often Turned into Liars. Those were the worst. Demons that looked so similar, but spouted misinformation.

'Or is this a Liar?' Dream second guessed himself.

George snapped his mouth shut from how it had been gaping at the sight, clenching his fists tight at his sides and watching in horror as the two men reformed. It was possibly the strangest thing he had ever seen, and he was battling the urge to run out screaming. He averted his eyes from.. whatever it was, and instead looked at Dream. His eyes were on the thing, but george didn’t want to look back at it, heat creeping up the back of his neck. It was a strange feeling, like he wanted to fall to his knees and admit his darkest secrets, and yet he also wanted to sleep for a hundred years.

“Dream..” George hissed quietly, disobeying his instruction. “What the fuck?” His eyes- which seemed to be wavering between a few different colours in his panic- turning back to the thing in front of them, which had now taken a more decisive shape. His stomach churned at the thought of Sapnap and Bad- where were they?

Dream nearly clocked him in the head. He would have done it if it weren't for the fact that he was busy making the sign to ward off evil. He didn't know if it would work. Demons weren't always evil. Most demons were just societies rejects. Which is probably why these fellows were called the demons of Truth, while Liars were just called "Liars". No demon title.Dream didn't want to make it seem like the Truth was evil, but what else was he supposed to do? He needed this thing gone and Sapnap and Bad back. And there were no spells, valid spells that weren't just theories, that could be rid of demons. Demons were sort of of just there. If they weren't inherently evil, the ward wouldn't do much. But it was worth a shot.

George shifted a little in place. It was obvious Dream was doing something important, and that George shouldn’t interrupt, but he hated feeling so useless. As soon as they had a moment, George had questions. He made a mental note to himself to ask Sapnap for a little advice in the field of combat against entities such as demons and the like, because at the moment, he was virtually clueless. He decided to shut his mouth and keep his head down and eyes to the floor. He didn’t want to offend anyone.

The demons just stayed there. Dream cursed under his breath and fought hard not to throw a hissy fit. "Do you need something?" he asked. The demon didn't move. Dream was trying to figure out why it wasn't telling them anything. Was it because they weren't open minded enough? Or because the truth wasn't known enough? Was George messing with this? Dream cast a quick, sort of not-so-nice glance at George, just in case that was it.

George was a little surprised to see Dream staring daggers at him. His thin brows knitted together, and his nose scrunched a little. He fought back the urge to say ‘what?’ In an indignant voice as he usually would. He widened his eyes a little, shrugging and gesturing to the demon in front of them, hoping that Dream would interpret his very vague signing as ‘what the fuck am I supposed to do?’ Instead of something else. Frustration flashed in his eyes, and he studied Dream’s face for any advice on what to do in a situation like this.

Dream looked at him and almost glared. Almost. "Oh? You want ME to deal with this? You think I can deal with it? Not everyone can fight your battles. Now, either be more open minded, or fuck off!" Dream said, honesty pouring from his thoughts into speech. He took the gesture as George wanting him to do everything. He also genuinely thought that George was the one keeping them from finding out. But his voice sounded more scared than mad. Like a kid screaming for a parent. The demon faded in and out, growing dimmer every second.

“Open minded?!” He echoed. “What do you mean more open minded? I don’t even know what that thing is! I mean, seriously,” he turned to the wavering demon, flashing a glare at Dream. open minded was not in his nature. he was closed off and private, and he liked his secrets to stay his secrets. just for a moment, he cleared his mind and focused on directing it towards the room in general.  
“Better?” He muttered, after opening his eyes and crossing his arms a little, attempting to make up for his brief vulnerability. He didn’t even know if it had made any difference, but it seemed like the demon was flickering in and out.

“no!” Dream shrieked, eyes wild. “if you weren’t here, this shit wouldn’t be happening!” Dream yelled, before slapping both hands over his mouth in shock. the instant the words left his mouth, the demon disappeared, and in its place were a drained looking Sapnap and Bad, sat back to back in a puddle of sticky black stuff.

George flushed an angry red, but pushed his thoughts to the side as he rushed towards the two men who looked worse for wear.

“Are you okay..” he mumbled awkwardly, concern in his eyes, though his face was still flat- without too much emotion. What Dream had said had hit home, and he was trying to hold it together so he didn’t yell at Dream in front of the others. They had been nothing but nice to them and they definitely didn’t need to hear their dispute. Dream had already disappeared into the kitchen, muttering something about making a healing brew and attempting to hide his reddened face. 

Sapnap looked up at him. He stood up and smiled tightly. "How are you, George? Are you hurt? Did Dream say anything bad? I swear if he did I'm going to chop his balls off," he said, his eyes fiery. Bad put a hand on Sapnap’s wrist and pulled himself up, expression taut.

George shrugged. It wasn’t really that much of a big deal, he would just have to catch Dream to the side later and have... a conversation.

“I’m okay. Why are you even worrying about me? It’s yourselves you should be fretting about.” He said, attempting to fill his voice with a little more emotion than he was currently feeling. He wished he had stronger feelings than this. He just felt a bit empty.

“Anyways, Dream has gone to fetch something for you guys.. I don’t know what.” He added. “I’m sorry I’m not more useful to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suh, if you liked the chapter please comment? it would mean the world.


	8. akrasia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George has to face Dream after he said some hurtful things. Also Karl btw :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah okay so a few things::  
> 1\. This chapter is content high if I do say so myself even though it’s not that long aha  
> 2\. Sapnap and Karl are v cute togeva  
> 3\. Pls don’t kill me for the end lol 
> 
> I’m serious though, like, you can mob me w flaming torches or smth, because the end of this one is unlike anything so far!!

Bad was not about to have someone fretting over him. That's just not the way he was. He hated people being worried for him. He absolutely hated it. It made him feel useless and just overall pretty sucky. "George, if you start fretting over me, I will disinherit you from my will. Do you understand?"Bad said, his eyes still warm and bright, but stern.

Sapnap chuckled a bit a that. Bad's threats were usually more threatening if you knew him. They also tended to get a bit personal, so you had to be careful. 

George’s eyes widened slightly, amused. He couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but assumed that he was- just in case. “I didn’t realise I was even in your will,” he chuckled- looking up to see Dream entering before averting his gaze again. He nodded a little to what the other had said. “What do you need me to do?” He asked, unable to muster a smile before meeting his eyes. He wanted to help in any way that he could, without getting in anyone’s way- and lets be honest, that seemed to be his speciality with this group.

Bad thought it was a silly thing for George to say. Of course he was in his will. Just because they had just met didn't mean they couldn't be close. Besides, in the unfortunate case that Bad was to die, there will be things George must inherit if he was going to survive the quest. It was very important. And Bad had been working on something special.

Dream walked back into the grand entrance carrying a bowl of the healing tea. He looked at Bad and Sapnap and sighed. "We should get you two to the infirmary, yeah? There's more resources. And the Great Room is right next to it, conveniently," he said. 

The Great Room was where they would plan everything. It had all you needed to discuss both war and grocery shopping. They usually used it for discussing politics, since the room had an enchantment that made it impossible to get physically violent with one another.

Dream looked at George and his eyes softened. "You can follow us. When we get there, there will be many injured animals. Once Bad and Sap are set, you and I will attend them. Let's go," he said.

He led them Through the house and down to a wing that George, and Bad for that matter, had never really been down. The infirmary was it's very own wing. It had rooms aplenty. Some doors were open, others were closed. The rooms all looked very different as they were created to be helpful in the rehabilitation process with these creatures. He led them down to the last room and opened the door. Inside, it looked like an actual normal hospital room. Sort of. Half of the room looked fully prepared to do an extensive surgical procedure on a human. And the other have looked like the ones you'd see if you were just visiting.

George followed him silently, looking around as they went. He knew the house was big, but this was on another level. He was impressed by it all, it was clean and professional- but not cold and uninviting like normal hospitals. He looked over at Dream, waiting for instructions. He didn’t want to do anything that would cause further problems, especially not with all of the things they already had on their plate. He looked over at Sapnap, smiling nervously, berating himself for not having more experience in this kind of thing.

Dream poured the tea into copper cups and handed them to the two, who were sitting down on a bed, side by side. Bad looked at Dream with a rather cold glare. "Take George around the wing. Sap and I will be alright," he said. His voice left no room for disagreements, making Dream sigh. Bad could clearly tell something was up between the two, and it was left unspoken that he needed it sorted before he had to intervene. 

Dream took George's hand tightly in his and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. George didn’t actively grip Dream’s hand, but it wasn’t exactly limp either. He shot another look at Bad before they left the room, a weak smile. When the two men were in the hallway, Dream drew George into a hug. "I'm sorry I said what I said," he whispered softly.

George was startled by the hug, unsure wether he should hug the other man back or not.  
“It’s okay,” he said quietly, closing his eyes and breathing in slowly. Dream smelled of the outside, nothing that George could recognise specifically, but it was pleasant and he relaxed a little more.  
“I’m sorry for not knowing what to do.” He mumbled, his chin resting on Dream’s shoulder- slightly on his toes.

Dream smiled softly and just stayed there, hugging George. Out of the three friends, Dream had always been the best hugger. Sapnap usually hurt because his pockets were full- either that or his rather muscular physique had no hold, and Bad was stick thin and wiry, so his hugs had little to offer really. But Dream's hugs were softer and he smelled like old spices, clean linens, and the forest. 

"Hush, you do perfectly fine," Dream said. He ran his fingers through George's dark hair and, with a simple spell, put his hair back in place so it didn't look like a rats' nest with strands sticking to his forehead. "I'm sorry I dragged you away from your life."

George hesitantly hugged him back, burying his face more into the connection between Dream’s neck and shoulder, rising up a little more onto the balls of his feet. “It’s okay.” He replied. “There’s not much to speak of about that really.” He said flatly. “This is better.” He murmured, eyes still shut to anything around them. His mind turned to his family in Greece. They were waiting for them- at least, Tubbo was. He wasn’t sure about his other family members involvement. His mother was probably in on it. He wasn’t sure about Tommy or his father. In fact, his father probably didn’t know.

Dream nodded and kissed him on the cheek. George's cheeks were so soft- pale and flawless with a few freckles dotted about. Dream placed his hand on it and rubbed his thumb over his high cheekbones. He pulled away a bit from the hug and pecked George's nose. "C'mon. We've got bandages to change.

George nodded with a small smile, his cheeks flushing a little, tinging his pale skin pink. He took Dream by the hand, squeezing it gently. “Lead the way,” he said happily. He knew that there was a lot to be worried about, but he was happy that they had made their peace.

Dream smiled at him softly. "Alright, you need to stand behind me and speak very, very softly. She gets scared easily. Don't make sudden movements. Alright?" Dream said softly, looking at George. He took his hand and, without hearing his answering, opened the door to a room. There were trees growing all over and flowers. There were squirels running about and playing. In the middle of the room was a small creature who looked like a child with added features. She had a bandage around her head, weaving in and out of her long blonde hair and was laying in the middle of the grass. Her head immediately lifted up when the two entered the room. "It's alright, Christa. This is a friend," Dream said, crouching down. His voice was impossibly soft and quiet, almost hard to hear.

The room was very pretty and rather calming and peaceful- he could understand why they used it for the injured animals.  
George smiled a little, looking nervously at Dream and imitating his actions, a little slower just in case. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt with his free hand, not looking into the creature’s eyes- he didn’t want to offend or frighten her. Biting his lip, he looked around the room a little more, his brown eyes drifting slowly from feature to feature.

Christa stood up and collapsed into Dream’s arms. Dream began scolding her, something about not being able to stand up too quickly because of blood loss and vertigo. Christa just held onto Dream's hand and stumbled to George.  
"Hallo! I'm Christa!" Christa was short, about 3 feet tall, pale skin with a pink tint to it and a shiny head of blonde locks. other than that, there was nothing that estranged her from a human girl- save for the tiny red horns poking through her hair.

“Hi!” George said quietly, smiling at her. “I’m George,” he added, amused. He flashed a glance at Dream, wondering what the aim they were trying to fulfill here was. “How are you? We’re here to help you with whatever you need,” he grinned, trying to come off as friendly and approachable as possible.

Christa giggled and tried running around the room, but Dream caught the Younger and lifted her up. "It's time to change your bandages, Christa. You need to settle down a bit, yeah?" Dream said softly. Dream was trying to model what he wanted Christa to do. He needed George to do the same. Youngers were imaginary friends that children made up. Well, they were imaginary friends, just more alive than adults thought. They were childish and almost constantly changing. They were so fickle with their actions. That's why you needed to be calm and quiet. They got spooked easily and their mood would quickly shift. They spent much of their lives with the child who they were born from, however they were gradually forgotten by the child as it grew. Dream found that a lot of Youngers suffered injuries during the process and he tried to make their exit from the world as easy as possible. Christa’s child was a young girl named Yara. She was only seven, a lot younger than when children normally forgot. However, special circumstances- a car crash resulting in a coma to be specific- meant the process was sped up. It broke Dream’s heart to know that it wasn’t just Christa who’s gentle innocence was being lost from the world. 

George reflected Dream’s actions carefully, not straying too far. He could tell that any slightly wrong move would change the dynamics of the situation. He smiled at Christa. Unbeknownst to him, his appearance had shifted slightly, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it, but it had become softer. The harsh angles of his jaw and his cheekbones had softened and a gentle hue of rose took over his complexion. His eyes were a dark blue, a less offensive gaze. It seemed to help the situation slightly.

It might have been why Christa trusted George so easily, other than the fact that children usually did trust others more easily. Dream's features weren't too soft. But he did have a slightly doll like appearance to his cheeks, which were rosey naturally.

"George, love, can you get the bandages in the hollowed out part of the tree in the bottom right corner of the room, please?"

“Um.. yes of course,” he mumbled, blanking for a second at the nickname. He stood up slowly and made his way across the room to the aforementioned tree. He looked inside the little cubbyhole and took out the bandages. There were two types- one with sticky edges, and one without- so he grabbed both just in case.  
He wandered back towards them, before crouching down beside damien again.  
“I got both,” he said with a little shrug. “Do you need anything else?” He asked, wanting to help in anyway he could.

Dream shook his head, taking the bandage he needed and cutting it to the right length. He handed the rest back to George, already redressing the large gash on a fidgeting Christa’s face. 

George replaced the bandages back into the cubbyhole in the tree, looking around and the room again before wandering back over. Christa was now back to running around chasing the squirrels and various other woodland animals across the grass. 

Dream stood up, apparently having already said goodbye, and George gave a small wave. Dream grabbed him gently by the hand and led him out the room.

Almost the instant that the door shut behind them, a small animal sprinted round the corner, slamming hard into Dream’s leg. It was knocked onto its back, before pulling itself up and dusting itself off indignantly. It was only a foot tall, maybe not even. It was covered in short wiry fur, but other than that it was like a thin human child wrapped in green cloth. It had massive green eyes that took up most of its face and long spiky hair on its head. 

“Hey! Sapnap sent me. He said Karl arrived.” The tiny creature practically shouted in an excited, but squeaky voice. Dream rolled his eyes a little, but he looked pleased. The two men made their way back down the same hallway, after the little creature ran off in the opposite direction, singing in a different language.

Dream tugged George by the hand all the way through the house to the front door, explaining to him on the way that Sapnap and Bad were probably there with Karl- someone George previously hadn’t met. They turned the corner into the makeshift foyer, and they were there as predicted, with multiple bags, some hand held and a few slung on the men’s shoulders. 

“Finally! We were wondering if you lovebirds had run off somewhere for a quickie.” Sapnap said, and Bad snickered a little (hitting Sapnap gently with a quiet reprimand anyway). “Anyways, where are we off to?” 

George blushed profusely at Sapnap’s comment, his brown eyes wide and his face mortified.  
“We’re going to Santorini. Perissa to be exact.” He paused, thinking for a second. “We might want to lay low a bit. A lot of people know me. Luckily it’s not tourist season so it shouldn’t be too busy.”  
He bit his lip. He was hoping that they wouldn’t get there too early in the daytime, when the food markets were open. That was when it was most busy, and they would be more likely to be separated or get lost.

Dream smiled at George- he didn’t seem to react to Sapnap’s comment. "It's alright. We've got a friend. Karl, isn't it? He has a thing with Sappy so we can usually ride with him for free. He said he'd stop by to get us. he's really cool. Though, he might make you a bit jumpy," Dream said. He turned to the door and grinned. "I know you're there."

George raised an eyebrow, with a small smile. He doubted at this point that anything would surprise him. He grinned at the thought of another new person. He was slowly becoming more used to meeting new people, and more sure of himself in front of them. 

As soon as Dream finished speaking, the door burst open and a man stood there. "Hello, my loves. Who is this darling boy?" he asked, looking to George.

“My names George,” he said, holding out at hand. “I’m Dream’s...” he trailed off, unsure how to refer to their relationship to other people. Nothing had been established and he didn’t want to go ahead and step too far. He blushed a little and looked at Dream with an embarrassed smile.

Dream wrapped his arm around George's shoulders and pulled him closer, a smirk playing on his lips. "He's my roommate," Dream smirked. His voice when he said "roommate" sort of became more... Romantic? Lewd? Just... More? 

Karl let out a loud laugh- but it sounded slightly like a bark. Sapnap had already attached himself to the man's side. Karl had an arm wrapped around him. Sapnap and Karl had been on and off together for three years since Karl had captured them and brought them aboard on his air ship. They were head over heels in love, but kept taking breaks from each other due to their jobs. Dream was constantly making fun of them when Karl visited. 

"George, huh? Roommates? Hesitation? I sense some character development," Karl said, wiggling his eyebrows.

George grinned shyly, raising his eyebrows a bit.  
“We’ve all been going through a bit of character development recently,” he said with a small laugh. “I can’t speak for the others but I certainly have.” With a small laugh, he looked at the two, his eyes soft. They made a very cute couple. 

He elbowed Dream in the side and put on a pouty face, looking up at him. “Why aren’t we as cute as those two!” He whined, mocking jealously.

Sapnap clung onto his boyfriend like an elf hugging a tree. He clung onto his hoodie- it was a brightly coloured thing, many patterns morphing into eachother in a way that seemed to move in front of their eyes. 

Dream grinned looking down at George. "That's because I’m not a pirate. Or the son of an elf and a mage. You should've dated a pirate. Not a healer," Dream said, smiling down at him. He didn't know when it got to this point. Maybe in the garden? Or the tavern? Or when he met the other creatures? But it happened. And Dream loved it.

George smirked a little, wrapping an arm around him. “I’m just messing with you, but I’m sure I’d make a very cute girl either way.” he paused, with a wink at Bad. Dream’s face flushed- seemingly at the thought of George as a girl. “we’re cuter than them anyways,” George added, smiling. 

“Oh is that so?” Karl raised his eyebrows, holding Sapnap tighter. “I think you might be wrong on that one,” he said smugly. he knew his boyfriend was the cutest one in the world. 

George batted his (slightly longer now) lashes- in fact his appearance seemed to be more effeminate all of a sudden. “No comment.”

Dream smiled down at George and wrapped both his arms around his waist from behind and rested his chin on George's head. "Hmm... I have to say, Karl. I really don't see the appeal of dating a kid I once saw stick four gummy worms up his nose," he said with a huff.  
Bad just looked at the couples with a look of both elation and disgust. How he managed to do that was unclear. But he did. 

Karl shrugged. “That’s your problem then Dream, I personally think he is lovely.” he laughed. 

Sapnap stuck his tongue out at Dream. "That's because you're a little shit. You only like pretty little twinky models you get to annoy into bringing home!"

George’s mouth swung open in indignation, before he realised that it was a bit of a backhanded compliment so he shrugged instead.  
“I’ll have you know I came here of my own volition.” He said. 

Dream shook his head. "No, George is the cutest and you can't say anything against that or else I'm never helping you regrow an arm at two am," Dream said, holding his chin up and pulling George closer to his chest. 

Bad scoffed. "I'm the cutest. You aren't going to argue or I'll grind you up and eat you raw. Now, I'm assuming your air ship is outside the house, Karl." Bad added before Dream could get another retort in. 

Karl nodded. “Yep! And it’s all set. Course steady for perissa. I have food and water and stuff.” he said, proudly, as if he was boasting about a child of his instead of an airship. He took Sapnap’s hand, gripping it tightly, and tugging him gently outside, assuming the others would follow.  
The airship was an impressive piece of machinery. Part metal, part magic, as he liked to say a lot of the time.

Sapnap clung onto his arm and skipped happily by his side. Bad followed behind and climbed on board. he curled up in a corner next to wooden boxes- a stack of crates labelled “Time extensive returns”.

Dream pulled George outside the house and closed the door, locking it tightly behind him. He heard noises coming from the bushes, but decided to ignore it. Probably just a pixie searching for some mischief. He pulled George on board and brought him to the edge, to look down as they floated away.

George laced their fingers together gently, looking around. He couldn’t tell where it was coming from but there was a gentle purple hue on the ship, casting a glow in their faces. The sky had begun to lighten with the promise of day, but the sun wasn’t yet peeking over the horizon. Karl grinned back at the group, stood in front of a large controls panel, various buttons and screens everywhere. “You all ready?” he asked, flicking switches as he spoke.

Dream was smiling, looking at George. He held him close and looked out over the edge. Everything was perfect as they were flying away. Until Dream's hand went slack, his face fell and his breathing stopped. He looked over the edge and screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *scooby doo voice* Ruh-oh raggy 
> 
> What’s gonna happen?? Why is Dream screaming?? 
> 
> Pls comment theories or just yell at me lol


	9. hypekkeimai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA GUESS WHOS BACK WITH A CHAPTER LIKE HALF THE NORMAL SIZE WITH ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING CONTENT HAHAHAHAHAHHA NOT ME HAHAHAHAHHA TOTALLY NOT ME AHAHAHAHAH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FEEL KINDA SICK POSTING THIS ITS SO FUCKING SHORT SHHDJDJFNDND
> 
> Nbf I am so close to giving up on this fic ;( like I have about 6 more chapters already written in desperate need of editing, and then after that I know exactly what I want to happen but no idea how to make it happen LMAO
> 
> Anyways bruh this chapter is like 0% storyline 50% cute shit 50% waffling bullshit idk what I’m fucking doing. It’s like what 1000 words which is like half my normal amount 
> 
> Ngl I’m really spiraling at the moment and I haven’t got out of bed in like 48 hours so yah. 
> 
> Sorry for the wait :0

Down below, the cottage was bursting with flames. Smoke rose up and some small, quiet screams could be heard. Orange flames licked the sides and the thatched sections of the roof were already falling in. 

Dream screamed as he leaned over the edge, vomiting up everything he had in his stomach. Tears ran violently down his face as he heaved. Bad turned to look at him in confusion, and immediately ran up to the edge. His face froze and he couldn't speak. When Sapnap noticed what was happing, he didnt say anything, just slumped into Karl’s arms and began sobbing quietly. That was it. Their home gone. 

It had begun.

George held Dream by the shoulders- partly to comfort him; partly to make sure he didn’t fall off the ledge, rubbing small circles into them as tears of his own streamed down his cheeks. He was silent, shocked past the point of trying to speak. His stomach lurched too, at the though of all of the creatures who were currently inside. The garden, the infirmary, everything. His tears intensified at the thought of Christa, confused and scared, poor innocent Christa who had done nothing wrong. 

Karl held Sapnap tight, stroking his hair, and whispering something unintelligible to him, eyes closed and a look of deep sadness on his face. After all, he visited often and he loved the house too.

Dream collapsed into George. He clung on tightly to him like a child holding his mother. He clutched him tightly, crying into his chest. His grip was tight and not very gentle. But how could he be gentle now? Why should he be? His infirmary was safe. Guarded by spells. His garden was protected as well. But his house! His bedroom! The animals that roamed about as they pleased! They could die!

Bad didn't have anyone to go to. He just sat down in a corner and brought his knees to his chest. All he could think about was the books. He should have put protective spells around his library. 

Sapnap wept for his kitchen. All his herbs and spices. All his fresh bread and precious recipes.

George ran his fingers gently through Dream’s hair. “It’s okay.” He said quietly. He didn’t even know if Dream could hear him, he just hoped he was getting through somewhere.  
He held him close, humming a gentle lullaby to him as he stroked his hair, letting him cry as much as he needed. 

Karl kissed the top of Sapnap’s head over and over. he even asked Bad if he wanted to join the hug, even though it was intimate between he and Sapnap. He didn’t want to leave Bad to cry on his own, and he was sure Sapnap wouldn’t mind.  
His stomach twisted, thinking about the future, when they would have to return to a pile of ashes. Try to rebuild what was long gone. he vowed to himself to be there to help when the time came.

Dream stood up, grabbed George’s hand, and yanked him across the deck to a ladder that went down below. He brought him to a cot and laid down, pulling George to him. He cried into the male's neck, trying to catch his breath and failing repeatedly. "Please don't leave me. Please!" he begged softly.

George hummed softly, hoping that Dream found it at least a little comforting. He was a little taken aback by the desperation in Dream’s voice, but he sighed quietly. “I could never leave you,” he simply said wiping away some of the tears on Dream’s cheeks and kissing the places where they were gently. 

Dream looked up at George and whispered something softly under his breath, but it was incoherent. Nearly impossible to hear, let alone understand or make out. So he said it again.

"I love you, George. And I'm sorry I dragged you into this." He brought George’s face down to his and kissed his lips softly. Dream’s lips were soft. He didn't know if it was alright with George, but he hoped to Heaven that it was. 

George kissed him back, gently applying enough pressure that it was apparent he reciprocated the desire. He pulled away after a moment, looking into his eyes. “It’s not your fault. If I didn’t want to be here I wouldn’t.” He said quietly, breathing quietly, pressing his nose against Dream’s. Despite everything going on, a tiny smiled tugged at the corner of his lips, but he settled down with his head on Dream’s chest. He hadn’t expressed his returned love, hoping his gestures were enough until he was ready to be verbal.

Dream kissed his forehead and wrapped himself around George. He was still crying, but not as harshly. He didn't know what to do. He tried to focus on George with his head on his chest. He ran his fingers through the male's perfect hair. 

George played with the worn hem of Dream’s linen shirt, the quiet hum of the airship’s engine making him feel drowsy. He hummed the same gentle tune from earlier, it was one that his mother would sing when they were fretful babies. He couldn’t recall the words, but he knew the tune. 

Dream slowly fell asleep to the sound of George’s humming. He held the other close to him, trying to somehow connect each piece of himself with George. 

George felt Dream’s breathing slow and level out, and he stopped humming. He was concerned for the fact the the other mans sleep seemed restless and violent, like he wasn’t actually sleeping.  
Even so, George drifted off with him, exhausted from the events of the last few days.

Sapnap cuddled up on Karl’s lap and buried his face in his chest. He muffled out an apology, but made no move to remove himself.

Bad just unslung his bag and took out his books and notebooks. Looking down at them, he sighed.

Karl held Sapnap loosely, chin resting on his head of shiny black hair. “Don’t apologise, you’ve done nothing wrong.” he said, plaiting a few of the long strands of raven locks. He glanced over at Bad, making sure he wasn’t feeling alone.  
He turned his attention back to the control panel- it read that if he pushed the speed up a little, it would only take an hour or two to arrive and they could avoid the morning air traffic rush. he removed a hand from Sapnap’s hair to slide a button on the panel, before it was right back in there.

Bad set out a candle and lit it. He began to pray quietly for the journey ahead and for his house.

Karl pulled away from his and Sapnap’s embrace with a small, sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry.” he whispered quietly.

Sapnap shrugged a little, expressionless. “It’s fine. We can just rebuild it.” He muttered, his tears drying on his face. 

Karl nodded with a small smile, making a noise of affirmation. “Of course we can.” he replied, before kissing him tentatively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola 
> 
> How did you like the chapter? Not at all? I’m not even surprised tbfh there was nothing to it deadass 
> 
> The next update?? Don’t expect her anytime soon. I started a new fic (zombie apocalypse au, with dnf and eating disorder themes- I need somewhere to project shut up) and it has a little more potential than this one so it might take more attention. Idk thought bc this obvs already has chaps ready. 
> 
> Anyways pls comment it’s the only thing keeping me from orphaning this fic LMAO BYE


	10. kapeleia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like, this chapter could be twice as long....... but its not and im not sorry HAHA
> 
> also gogys fam is in the next one so thats pretty pog (or not idk)
> 
> anyways enjoy pfff

George opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times, trying to focus his blurry vision. His eyes felt sore, as if he’d been crying for a while. His mind was clouded with confusion and he shifted a little, eyes widening upon the realisation that he was, in fact, lying on a person. The events of the past twenty four hours came flooding back to him and he relaxed a little. 

“Dream.” He muttered, pushing himself up into a sitting position. 

The blond stirred, eyelashes fluttering, disturbing the fan over his tanned cheeks. His eyes opened into slits, a slither of stark green glaring- only until he realised that this wasn’t Sapnap coming to awaken him, but George. A small smile spread on his face as he woke up a little more. 

Dream looked around, brows knitting in confusion, before his face took on a look of realisation. 

“George… the house..” he said, eyes glistening again with threat of tears. 

“I know. Im sorry, Dream. We can rebuild it, right?” The petite man replied, his own eyes glassy. 

Dream shrugged a little. Of course they could rebuild it. It wouldn’t be the same though.  
He sat up too, swinging his legs over the side of the creaky bed. His neck ached intensely- that could be written up to the cheap mattress and the metal bed frame- not to mention it wasn’t quite tall enough for him to sleep comfortably. He stood up, looking down at George. 

“I’m going to go find Bad and talk to him about the journey ahead. We’re going to arrive soon I would say.”  
He said, expression hard. 

George was a little taken aback by Dream’s sudden change in demeanour, but he shook it off as much as he could. He followed the blond up to the main deck. Karl was talking to someone through a microphone that wrapped around his ear and toward his mouth. Sapnap had seemingly fallen asleep on his lap, head resting in the crook of his shoulder- a thin trail of dribble tracked down his chin. Bad was sat on a small wooden crate, reading from a leather bound diary, sucking on the end of a feather quill. Every so often he flicked a strand of mousy brown hair out of his eyes. 

George stood at the edge of the ship. It was obviously the entrance used for loading cargo- a wide opening in the back of the ship with no glass to stop anyone falling. He looked out and was surprised to see the blue sea below them. They had only been travelling for a few hours and it was impressive they had made it so far. He ran over to the other end- where the big window sat above the control panel, eyes searching the horizon. There was land- many islands dotted about in the waters.

George looked over at Karl, pointing at it desperately.

“Is that Greece?!” He said breathlessly, eyes wide. He couldn’t help but feel a small rush of excitement at being home soon, even if it was accompanied by a sharp stab of nervousness. Karl gave a small nod of affirmation, obviously listening to someone talking through the earpiece. 

At the speed they were moving, it would only take about twenty minutes to arrive, and George rushed over to Dream who was speaking quietly with Bad over by his crate. 

“We’re almost there!!” He gushed. Something had got him all hot and bothered (Dream) and had him acting like an excited puppy (Dream) and had him giggling and grinning all over the place (DREAM).

Dream smiled at him with the softest eyes George had possibly ever seen. The blond reached out to pull George against his chest, holding him tight in an embrace as he resumed the conversation with Bad.

George felt his cheeks heat up, inhaling the scent of Dream. He tuned in and out of the conversation- something about training. He felt himself drifting off into a dreamlike state. 

“George..”

The world came back into focus as he reawakened, blinking dumbly at Sapnap’s excited eyes. He grinned when he saw that he was up, rubbing his shoulder gently. 

“We’re here!!” He screeched. He flinched- Sapnap was a little full on for someone who had just woke up. 

Bad nudged Sapnap gently. “Shush Sappy.” He turned his attention to George again. “We would have left you to sleep and Dream to carry you, but we actually need your help getting to your family’s house.” 

George nodded, already shifting to get off of Dream’s lap where he had seemingly moved in the last fifteen minutes.

Karl had landed them in a small grape field- one George recognised thankfully as a vineyard his parents bought from every so often. They all climbed out of the aircraft, Karl pausing to lock it with some sort of charm that settled on it like a thin purple film of glass. 

George’s expression hardened a little. If he was seen, he couldn’t run the risk of tarnishing the family name with a misplaced smile or laugh. He began walking out of the field, assuming the others were following. 

“We’ll walk into the town. We can pick up some food from the Market to bring home and then I guess I’ll take you there.” He said, to the group as they traipsed single file down a thin dirt track, lined with various dusty fruit bushes. 

It didn’t take the group long to reach the town- despite Sapnap’s complaints that it was too hot and Dream’s whines from the back of the group about thirst.  
It was early in the morning- about nine- but the streets were busy as usual. Colourful houses lined each street, connected at the sides but still unique in their own ways. The paving was colourful too, a pretty mosaic of various stones. People had placed potted plants wherever they could, greenery- if a little wilted- touched the place up. Stray cats roamed around casually, and people milled about likewise. 

The background noise got gradually louder as they reached the town centre- a slow incline the entire time, but drastic enough that the four’s- (out of five) of the group who weren’t used to the climb- thighs were burning.  
The square was lined with various shops, a bakery, a florist, a butcher, a cafe. There was a small fountain in the middle streaming a thin spout of water. It was surrounded by market stalls- crowded by tourists and locals alike. Plenty of smells filled their noses as they neared- fish, meat, cheese, herbs, olives, fresh bread. 

George turned to them, eyes sharp and empty of emotion- a look they weren’t used to. “Don’t talk to anyone. We want to be quick here. I need to buy bread and feta cheese but that’s it.”  
He snapped at them. Though shocked by his tone, they all nodded in understanding. He handed a few coins to Bad, and he went off in search of the cheese with Sapnap and Karl. George pulled Dream by the sleeve over to the Bread and narrowed his eyes at all the options on the vendors table. 

Dream placed his hands on George’s stiff shoulders, making the smaller male jump and glare back at him before going back to scrutinising the bread. 

“ένα παραδοσιακό καρβέλι παρακαλώ. και ένα καρβέλι σύκων επίσης.” George said, refusing to meet the vendors eyes. Meeting people who spoke Greek was rare (even in Greece) but it was common knowledge that this was a very traditional village and so it was a safe bet that they would speak it. If not there was always Italian. Not that George could speak Italian. 

Dream grinned as he was passed two warm loaves of bread as George exchanged payment. 

As they were walking back to the designated meeting place, Dream got the distinct feeling that the whispering he could hear from all sides was directed at them. He heard the name Davidson slip through in conversation every so often. He narrowed his eyes as his face heated up, but George didnt seem bothered- or he was hiding it well. Either way, Dream schooled his expression to be indifferent. Now he understood why George was being so cold. 

Once the five had reunited, they began making their way out of the village- in the opposite direction this time. 

“Ugh George, why did your parents have to live at the top of a mountain” Sapnap moaned from the back. 

George shot a sharp glare at him and shushed him quickly. At the mention of the name ‘George’ a woman with graying hair sat on a doorstep smoking a cigarette perked up a little in curiosity. He rolled his eyes. These people would gossip about anything- especially if the name Davidson was involved. He knew that simply his appearance in the market would fuel it for weeks. 

Sapnap quieted down after that. 

It was a good half an hour hike from there, spent mostly in silence, until they reached the edge of the village and George deemed it appropriate to talk again as they reached olive tree region. The landscape was harsh and dry, but the loosely packed olive trees thrived. It was all dull greens and dusty browns, the blue of the sky a welcome contrast against the monotonous scenery. Every so often they would walk past a sign pointing to the nearest vineyard or oil processor. 

They eventually found themselves in front of a large villa. It was very modern- grand looking- white and sharp against the muted browns and greens of the environment around it. The garden was very well kept and two flashy cars were parked outside. The whole scene screamed money, and George scowled at the floor.

Dream was surprised by George’s change of attitude. It was like one minute he was delighted by the thought of coming home and the next it was next to hell on his list of least favourite places. Who cold blame him, home is a difficult concept for some.

The small group shambled up the steps of the terrace style porch. 

A pale hand hovered over the door, poised to knock. 

And then he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whassuuuuuhh  
> im sorry this one is kinda short. its a bit of a filler ngl because the next few will hopefully be content heavy
> 
> pls comment i love it sm
> 
> stay hydrated chickens <3


	11. arcadian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guys omfg spicy kiss scene warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three chapters three days in a row?? how fufking crazy is that?? im so tired tho this chapter took so much to edit ngl, its been in my drafts for literally months
> 
> ja ja ja 
> 
> anyways chapters are gonna start slowing down and getting longer because theres so much in store for the storyline  
> shout out to my friend who reads this story and bullies me for my bookmarks, this chapter was edited while we were on FaceTime and you were being horrible to me, i hate you hoe
> 
> jk ily, this chapter is for you, even if i regret giving you my ao3
> 
> enjoy the chapter guys, stay hydrated

The imposing white door swung open.

“George!!!” It was like the collision with Dream all over again. A short brunette boy threw himself at the male, knocking him right over and onto the dark wood of the tiled floor. 

“Goddammit Tubbo get off,” George snapped, hugging the other even so. Tubbo was the only family member he had really missed since he left. 

“Don’t let Father hear you say that.” He said, grinning through gritted teeth. He stood up, pulling George up with him and smiling at the group of people stood before them. 

“Hi there! I’m Tubbo!” He sang, his bubbly voice loud and clear as he addressed the group, holding out a hand towards Dream who was closest to her. 

“Hi.. I’m Dream.” He said, taking his hand and shaking it a little. “This is Bad, Sapnap and Karl.” He said, gesturing to each in turn. 

“Come in, come in!” Another female voice sounded from inside, presumably George’s mother. George had been awfully quiet since they had got to the house- since they had got to Greece really. 

The group filed in. The interior of the house was large and airy, a bright space decorated with aspects from both traditional Greek culture and modern, western designs. The hall was curved on one side where a staircase swept grandly from the floor, and on the opposite end stood a large archway into the kitchen. A small alcove under the stairs housed a coffee table and two olive green loveseats. Various photos and paintings adorned the walls, and the floor was panelled with dark wood to match the various pieces of furniture in the room. 

As they walked into the kitchen, Dream observed that it was decorated in much the same way- keeping with the white, dark wood, olive theme. He stopped to admire a family photo, George and Tubbo, the blond lady who was his mother, a blond boy and a brunette man who he assumed to be the father. He couldn’t help but notice that they all looked very stiff and uncomfortable. 

Shrugging it off, he smiled at the lady, who was embracing an uncomfortable looking George. 

“Hello, Mrs Davidson.” Bad said, stepping forward slightly. The cool air filled the large room, doing nothing to help the awkward atmosphere. 

“Hello dear. It’s nice to meet you. None of that Mrs Davidson stuff, please call me Laura.” She said warmly, brown eyes the same colour and shape as George’s. In Fact the two looked incredibly similar, their facial structure the same and matching features, save for her long blonde hair cascading in waves over her shoulders. “Now, I’m sure you had a long journey here. Toby, would you show them to their rooms we prepared?” 

The brunet- Tubbo- nodded vigorously, motioning for the five to follow, tugging George by the sleeve of his borrowed shirt. He had a sour expression on his face. 

As they followed back into the hall, Dream noticed a door he hadn’t noticed before, beside the stairs. It was shut tight, and even had a lock on it- wether it was locked or not was to be debated.  
He shrugged it off as they all ascended the stairs, into another- more narrow- hall which was lined with a few doors. Tubbo pointed to the one directly on his right. 

“This is our parents’ wing. We’re not allowed down here. Got it?” He said firmly, his silly and carefree demeanour vanishing for a moment, until he registered their nods and the smile reappeared. He then pointed to the one directly on his left. 

“And this one is Tommy’s. We don’t go in there unless we wanna be yelled at. He’s all bark and no bite though so I wouldn’t worry as much.” he said with a ringing laugh, grinning triumphantly at the giggles that emerged from Sapnap.  
George smiled to himself a little. He knew those two would get along like bread and butter. 

As they progressed down the hall a little further he pointed from left to right depending on the room. 

“Bathroom.” Left. “Spare room.” Right. “Snug.” Left. “Bathroom.” Left. They came to a stop. 

“Sapnap and Karl, I assume you want to stick together?” At their nods of affirmation he pointed to a room on his left as he turned to face the group.  
“This room has both a double bed and a single in case you want to sleep separately. There’s an en suite bathroom. My room is next door if you need me for anything.”  
The two nodded and disappeared inside. 

“Bad, would you be okay sleeping in my room? We have spare rooms if you want one, but I haven’t made one up yet, and I have a spare bed.” 

Bad nodded with a smile. “That’s fine. We can go in now, I’m sure George will Settle Dream in well.” He said, wiggling his thin eyebrows at Tubbo. The brunet gave a squeal of laughter, pulling Bad into his room. George sighed a little, taking Dream by the sleeve, and pulling him a little way further down the hall. 

“This is my room.” He said, swinging open the door a little. “You can stay in that one,” he said flatly, pointing to the room across from it. 

“What if i dont want to?” Dream whispered with a small smirk, reaching up to hold both of George’s cheeks and pull him in for a small kiss. 

George pulled away a moment later, breathless. “Dream you little shit,” he muttered, pulling him in again, this time with more fire behind it. He backed the two of them into the room, closing the door, as Dream pushed him easily against the wall, kissing him with more force than before, devouring him as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. The blond pulled away, instead going for his jaw and neck, hot breath ghosting it as he kissed sloppily, all the while George panted and squirmed above him, cheeks red as anything. 

Dream latched into the juncture between his neck and shoulder and graced slightly exposed collarbones with quickly reddening love bites. He hoisted George up, hands tight around his waist, as he trailed back up to his mouth. George whined quietly into the kiss, sloppy as it was, he seemed to be enjoying himself. 

“Dream,” George moaned into the other’s mouth, hand tangled into chocolate hair and pulling at the fabric of his shirt on his back. Dream pushed him over to George’s queen sized bed, shoving him as rough as he dared onto it, before resuming the kiss, legs tangled and hands roaming.  
George whined quietly, as Dream dipped again to pay attention to his pale neck. George made all sorts of obscene sounds- obviously a sensitive area for him. 

“Woah. Maybe you guys shouldn’t share a room!” 

Dream almost fell off the bed in shock, as George sat bolt upright, smacking him in the forehead. 

“Tubbo!! Please don’t tell mother!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONT BULLY ME FOR THE KISS SCENE IVE NEVER WRITTEN ONE BEFORE ITS SO TERRIBLE I WISH IT WAS HOTTER PLS DOES ANYOJE HAVE TIPS
> 
> ty for reading!! the next chapter is very light hearted, with lots of humour and family dynamics!! 
> 
> also pls bully my friend in the comments, your challenge is to make me laugh :)
> 
> on a real note, ily u guys so much! ive received so much positive feedback in the comments and it makes me so happy. i was watching smth earlier w my sister and i kept smiling and laughing when i replied/read comments and my sister was like why are you laughing so much. comments make me so fuckin happy and theyre like the purest form of dopamine i can get ily ily ily


	12. makaria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domesticity >>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You fuckers are well fed at the moment. A rush of comments has triggered a rush of updates. I’m literally halfway done with the next chapter deadass, keep being nice in the comments and I might bring it out sooner than usual (and I say usual because usual is about to become scarce as fuck)
> 
> Pls you should see how my concept notes look- when I was planning out the story line after [REDACTED] happens I looked like a proper crazy old bat. 
> 
> Direct copy of a little rant in my concept notes: any instances of redacted is cause it’s a spoiler oopsie
> 
> Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!I want the angst! I want them to awake from nightmares in the middle of the night, not of dreams prophesizing things, but of past traumas and [redacted]! I want the PTSD! I want them to, not talk about it, but constantly remember the fact that they cannot save everyone. I want them to spend so much time [redacted], only to find out that they were too late. I also want the normal world to suffer as well! I want normal people trying to help them, only to be killed! And I sort of sound like a mad person right now, but I want everyone to suffer from this. Because people suffered in the World Wars, and that was humans against humans. This is [redacted] against [redacted]. I want the war to end with so much destruction that the remaining heroes blame themselves because they can't fix everything. I want [redacted]. I want them to [redacted]. I also want them to at least sympathize with [redacted]. Realize that they aren't all bad, or that they actually have a point, but also understand that this is what is best for humanity. I want them to be selfish and make mistakes because of it. I want them to do things that aren't really forgiven by the others or moved on from, just pushed aside cause there are bigger issues.
> 
> Anyways now u know how fuckin wound up this fic is getting me.
> 
> Please enjoy the chapter, I’m really rolling them out atm!!

“Tubbo!! Please don’t tell mother!” George yelped, eyes wide and cheeks flushed in both embarrassment and shock. 

Tubbo was bent in half, jolting in fits of giggles, barely able to breathe between his laughter. Dream was silent, mouth wide open and cheeks a similar shade to George’s. One hand was still resting on George’s chest, and the other on his forehead, which had also reddened due to the force with which George had head-butted him. 

“It’s just-“ Tubbo cried between fits of laughter. “You were-“ he was cut off by more hysterics. “So... loud!” He exclaimed before breaking off into yet more laughing. 

George looked mortified, but Dream however began to laugh aswell, looking back and forth between Tubbo and the other. George slapped Dream gently, smiling a little too. 

“Dream! Stop laughing! It’s not funny!” He said, even giggling a little.  
A few moments passed where the three of them laughed, Tubbo louder than the two still rather embarrassed boys, before another person stepped into the room. Sapnap had heard all the commotion and decided to check it out. 

“Oooo!” He said in a sing song tone, taking in the scene of Dream on top of George, their faces red and expressions split with laughter. “What’s going on here? Tubbo catch you red handed getting busy?” he said, laughing aswell. 

Dream nodded, climbing off of George, rubbing his forehead a little.  
“Yeah. He did.” He said, awkwardly glancing at George, who still had a flustered expression. 

“Wow! You really did get busy, huh?” Sapnap said, elbowing Tubbo a little. “Look at George’s neck,” the two boys (and Dream, much to George’s dismay) burst into fresh bouts of laughter, at the sight of his pale neck littered with red and purple marks, varying in size and ranging from anywhere between his jaw and his semi-exposed collar bones. 

George reddened more at the comment, pulling a hand up to his mouth in a small effort to hide his shock and embarrassment. He slid off the bed and made his way over to the two, shooing them out of his room awkwardly. 

“What? So you can just resume your make out session?” Sapnap mocked, before the door slammed behind them.  
There was a moment of silence. “Mother says lunch is in ten!” Before the laughing resumed and faded off down the hall, no doubt to tell Karl and Bad about them. 

Dream snickered a little. George turned around to face him, face pink to his ears. 

“Shut up, Dream!” He snapped, brushing past him into the bathroom. He turned on the cold tap, splashing some on his face and a little on his neck. They were overreacting really, he told himself, there were only a few hickeys. Even so, he took out a concealer stick from the cupboard- an old one, unused by him in a long while- and applied it as evenly as possible over all of the red marks. It wasn’t as much coverage as he might have wanted, but it would have to do in order to try an avoid his mother’s questioning.

Slender arms snakes around his waist from behind, and a chin rested on the top of his head. George looked up, and in the mirror he saw Dream’s warm green eyes. 

“Hey,” the tanned man said in a soft tone, sensing that George was a little tense. “What’s up? You seemed to enjoy yourself earlier?” 

George nodded a little, relaxing into Dream’s embrace. His eyes closed and he smiled a little. “Yeah I did. It’s okay, my mother is going to be weird about it though.” 

Dream laughed a little. “We can deal with that, right?” His hands trailed up George’s waist to his shoulders, massaging them gently. George smiled. 

“Thankyou Dream. Let’s get down to lunch now. I’m starving.” He said, taking one of his hands and leading him back out the bathroom.  
Dream nodded, the two of them exiting the room and down the hall. They descended the stairs into the foyer, where Bad stood in rapt conversation with George’s mother. He could understand why they would get along. They were both strong, quiet hard-workers who looked after pretty much a whole family on their own. 

The two looked up and George’s mother smiled radiantly. 

“Hello dears, lunch is on the table.”  
They filed into the kitchen. Sapnap and Tubbo were already sat down, engaged in gossip, with Karl close by- an amused expression on his face. George and Dream joined them at the table, though not before Laura snatched George up by the collar of his shirt. 

“And what is this here, young man?” She asked in a condescending tone, taking a wet rag from the kitchen counter and wiping the sloppily applied makeup off his neck. George reddened, pulling away from her grip. 

“Mother! Get off! It’s nothing” he yelped, eyes widened in the direction of Dream, begging for help. Dream snickered and shrugged derisively. 

“George Davidson! Who defiled you like this?” She shrieked, trying to hold back her own laughter as she beheld the sight of her mortified sons face. It was Dream’s turn to redden, averting his gaze. 

“Dream! It was Dream!” Sapnap chimed in, cackling along. 

“We caught them!” Tubbo added, struggling to breathe through laughter. 

Laura looked incredulously down at the pair, taking in turn Dream by the ear.  
“Have you been defacing my baby boy?” She said, her facade cracking a little as she began to laugh. 

“Mother!” George protested, yanking free of her grip and sitting down, coiling over in himself in embarrassment. She soon released Dream too and he sat down, a similar expression on his face as George.  
Laura laughed airily, placing the last few food items on the table as Sapnap and Tubbo spurred on each others laughing, Karl and Bad sitting close by with bemused looks and shaky laughter of their own. 

“In my defence, Mrs Davidson, I find your son to be an extremely attractive man, and I struggle to keep my hands off him, quite frankly.” Dream said, matter of factly. 

Even Laura seemed to be caught off guard by this as she stood by the sink, cogs turning in her mind as she tried to decipher what Dream had just stated.  
She smiled at him after a moment of the room’s silence. 

“That’s nice dear. Use protection.” 

George stared at his mother, mouth gaped open, seeming to have gone into a catatonic state of shock. Laura sat down at the large table, which was decked with all kinds of food for them to dig into. 

“If you think that’s funny wait until I tell you about the first time George brought a boy home. Stop laughing Toby, you were no better last year.” The woman paused, smiling at all of them. “Please, eat. I know you’re all hungry. I wonder if Tom will join us.” 

They all tucked into their food eagerly, chatter fading out in place of hungry kids eating their fill. 

A while passed, the room filled with quiet chatter, and the occasional ‘this is so good’, until someone appeared in the door way. It was the blond boy from in the family photo, obviously older as all the others were. He was tall, taller than all the other members of the family, and he had broad shoulders. the only things he had in common with George was his indifferent expression.  
Most of the group looked up, and Laura’s face split into a smile. 

“Hi, dear. come get some lunch.” 

The blond, presumably Tommy, sat down between George and Dream, much to the two’s annoyance. George shot a death glare up at his brother, and Tommy looked down at him with an almost displeased expression. 

“Nice to see you back, George,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Remind me, when you left, didn’t you say you would never come back?” 

George’s eyes widened a little. It had obviously struck a nerve inside him. “Shut up Tommy. As if you ever cared?”

“what was it you said? i dont need you? kiss my ass? or was it both?” Tommy sneered. 

“i said, shut up!” George snapped, eyes flaring an angry violet, standing abruptly from the table and storming from the room. Dream shot up a moment later, tearing off after him. Tommy looked indifferent, satisfied almost, tearing open a piece of bread to eat.

“George, Dream, come back!” Laura called out, before glaring at Tommy. “be nice to your brother,” she scolded, standing up slightly and giving him a gentle slap round the back of the head. she sat back down, tucking stray hair behind her hears as she did so.  
she looked over at her guests apologetically.  
“im very sorry on behalf of my youngest son, dears.” 

the meal resumed without further incident.  
they finished quickly, the remaining four expressing their gratitude towards Laura’s food and hospitality. she nodded with a small shrug. 

“its no problem, lovelies.” she paused with a quick glance at the door. “besides, youre gonna need to put on a few pounds before the quest.” Bad’s head shot up, and she looked shocked. 

“i didn’t realise you knew! i thought it was just Tubbo!” he said, grey eyes wide with amazement. he already had a lot of respect for Laura, this was just more of a reason to be in awe. 

Tubbo grinned, nodding. “nope! we all knew.. apart from gogy,” he said with an awkward laugh. “oh!! and father. please dont talk about magic and the gods in front of him, he doesn’t like it.” he said, a look of dead seriousness overtaking the gentle smile from a moment before. 

the three guests nodded, eyes wide. 

a moment passed in awkward silence, before Tommy stood and left the room. no one made an effort to stop him. 

upstairs, George had stomped his way upstairs and into a room on the right. it served as a sort of lounge, the snug that Tubbo had mentioned earlier, and it was where George would spend most of his time as a child. the walls were white, the floor dark wood and the two sofas green. his parents had decorated the whole house that way. there was a glass coffee table and one wall was covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves. there was a tv mounted on the wall opposing the sofas, and there was an alcove for the windowsill covered in cushions. 

the man in question had settled himself in said alcove, curling up and staring out the window into the back garden. 

the door widened, and Dream’s concerned tan face appeared. 

“George? are you okay?” he said quietly, making his way over to him, perching on the edge of the window sill and reaching out to brush a hand through George’s hair. 

George nodded a little. “yeah im fine. Wish I knew why Tommy is being such a dick though.” He muttered, not looking away from the window. “I don’t get it. I knew he didnt like me, i guess I just didn’t realise how much.” 

Dream shook his head. “I’m sure it’s different. He probably has a reason, and I’m sure he likes you. Do you want me to talk to him?” 

George shrugged, climbing over to Dream to dangle his legs over him, resting his head on Dream’s upper chest and wrapping his arms around his waist. 

The two of them sat like that, content in each others arms as soft music played in the back ground, ambient white noise. 

The door swung open again. 

“Hey lovebirds. Bad needs you downstairs. We’re gonna go through the plans now.” Sapnap said, swinging his head in through the door. 

Moments later, they were in the room directly off of the kitchen, a sunroom of sorts- just well air conditioned. 

Bad was already there, sat with Tubbo on one of the sofas against one wall. They were going through a book of scribbled writing, talking quietly. George picked up the word ‘telepathy’ but nothing else. 

Tubbo looked up and smiled. 

Dream frowned a little. “Where did Karl go?” 

“He was called back home, something about a deal? It’s fine, he’ll be back.” Sapnap said with a light laugh. 

Bad grinned stiffly. “Yes well, we have things to be getting on with.” He paused, waiting for Dream’s full attention.  
“George I’ll start with you. You seem to be the only one who hasn’t noticed, but I might as well tell you because no one else has. Do you remember when I asked if you have heterochromia?” 

George looked puzzled but nodded. Realisation dawned on Dream’s face. Sure, he had noticed George’s subtle changes in appearance but he hadn’t realised- 

“You’re a shifter George. An appearance shifter to be exact. At the moment, it only happens when you’re feeling particularly strong emotions, however with practice you will be able to do more than just change eye colour. You will be able to do it at will, maybe even to other people within reason.” Bad said, ignoring the shock on George’s face. 

“What?” He said dumbly, not really taking it in. “Are you saying I can change what I look like on command?” 

Bad nodded, smiling calmly. He had explained it to Sapnap and Tubbo in advance, hoping Dream had figured it out. However, it wasn’t shock spreading on Dream’s face, it was pure glee and mischief. 

The blond nudged George in the ribs, snickering a bit. 

“You know what this means?”

“Uh.. what?”

“You could grow tits”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy I literally stopped using capital letters at the start of sentences halfway through this one lol
> 
> NEXT CHAOTER IS TRAINING ARC POGGERS YESSSSSSS  
> Also some more romantic scenes bc shit is hitting the fan real soon and I wanna make it hurt more :)
> 
> Pls comment it makes me so fuckin happy


	13. abyssopelagic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys omfg so much shit happens this chapter it is unbelievable- it moves really fast so I’m sorry, but it’s longer than usual so pog???
> 
> Also I actually really like this chapter ngl. I’ve been really depressed recently and I’ve had no motivation to actually write but I feel like I’m finally breaking my slump and getting on with it.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this because from now on the chapters are gonna have more heavy themes and not as much jokey shit and romantic stuff ;( sorry not sorry
> 
> P.S half of this has consistent capital letters and half doesn’t because I have a headache coming on and I wanna post this before I sleep for like 14 hours straight

Three days had passed. Three days of non stop training. 

Bad wasnt kidding when he had told him he would have to work hard to gain control over his abilities. George had trained harder for this than he had ever trained for anything in his life. 

At first he was unsure. he was nervous and doubtful, even going as far as to say he didn’t want to do it. Bad had told him he had no choice. Bad, Sapnap and Dream in turn had shown him their various powers, to both motivate him and teach him. 

Bad had gone first. they sat together in the snug, the room completely silent. he had his eyes shut and a blank expression on his face as George watched intently.

“your name is George Davidson. your birthday is the 1st of November. your favourite colour is blue. you are in love with one of my best friends. and you are afraid of death.” he said, pausing for a moment before opening his eyes with a smile. “all of that was correct, no?”

George nodded slowly, impressed. 

“thats your magic right? you know almost everything about a person when you want to?” he asked, leaning forward a bit. 

“yes. now, my method of learning and practice is meditation. close your eyes.” George did as he was told, shutting his eyes and dulling his senses. 

“breathe evenly, in and out slowly.” Bad said. 

he did so. 

“now, focus on the image of blond hair in your mind. picture yourself with blond hair. focus on it and nothing else.” 

he did, the picture coming together behind his eyes. 

“tell yourself that you have blond hair. you have blond hair.” 

he did so. he heard clapping from beside him, and took it as a reason to open his eyes. 

“George! you did it for a second!” Bad exclaimed. “its an improvement. we still have a long way to go.”

he smiled at him. “thankyou, Bad. for everything.”

“its okay. now, i know Sap said he wants to try with you so you better go find him. im going to continue talking with your mother. she said that she would lend me her smudging sticks for the journey”

George nodded, standing up and exiting the room.

Sapnap was second. the two of them stood in the lower end of the garden, next to a large blue pool and the small flowerbed. they had sent the gardeners home for the day, not wanting to freak any of them out with what the might get up to out there.

“okay! i think of my power like an art form!! i believe that the more passionate you are about creating something beautiful with your power, the more likely you will. for example-” the boy said, gesturing wildly as he spoke. he twisted his hands into strange poses, and as he did so, the water in the pool rose and twisted into strange shapes in mid air, twirling and separating. 

he stopped moving his hands and let it all fall at once, splashing the two of them. George looked up at him in wonder and he grinned back happily. he flicked his wrist and suddenly a small rock from the flower bed flew up and hit George on the back of the head.

“ow.” he muttered, scowling at him for a moment.

“now, you try. try thinking of your face as a blank canvas! paint over it. paint yourself with pointed ears and pink skin!!”

“weird, but okay.” George muttered, conjuring the image in his mind. he stared at the ground as he did so, screwing up his nose a little. Sapnap screeched loudly beside him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously. he let him go an handed him a handheld mirror. 

reflected back at him was someone else. someone… with pink skin and elf ears!! it faded quickly back to his original appearance nonetheless- despite his best efforts to hold it there- but it stuck for at leat ten seconds. Sapnap shook him again, squealing with glee, and this time he jumped around like an idiot with him too.

Third, and finally, was Dream.  
The pair hadn’t spent much time together across the four days they had been at the Villa, as George had been with his mother and brother a lot, and Dream conversing in hushed tones with the other two when everyone else was otherwise occupied.

but on the third day, he found himself sat cross legged on his bed, facing the blond man. he was slouching slightly, exhausted from the last few days as his sleep schedule had got gradually worse the longer he stayed at his parent’s. he had been there almost four days and he hadn’t seen his father once. 

not that he was complaining about that aspect of his stay.

Dream grinned at him from other side of the bed. George looked back in skepticism- in all honesty he was rather afraid of what the blond had to ‘teach him’. 

“My power is to heal stuff, and it’s usually emotionally driven-“ He began. “I can normally only use them when under a lot of stress. For example once Sapnap got pretty badly burnt when he was manipulating fire and I had to help. It just comes easier when I’m frightened or something.” George nodded along when appropriate. The story was believable- Sapnap’s favorite element to control was fire despite it being the most temperamental. 

“So.. how am I supposed to become scared right now?” George questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other’s smile. 

“You’re not.” Dream said with a shrug and a smile. “I just want you to think about cats all day.” He laughed. 

George was unimpressed. “Are you serious? What’s that got to do with anything?” Dream raised his hands in a submissive fashion, still laughing in mirth. 

“Just do it. Trust me.”

And so George did. Now, let’s be honest, it was certainly a difficult feat for him to accomplish, but for the most part his mind was occupied with images of cats much to his confusion. 

And so commenced Dream’s real plan. Real plan meaning the-plan-he-came-up-with-last-minute-because-he-had-no-idea-how-his-powers-really-worked-and-so-he-needed-to-improvise-fast plan. At the end of the day, as the evening was approaching, he waited until George was alone. He crept slowly up behind the other before-

“Dream!” A shriek erupted from the brunet as he jumped about three feet in the air. The blond had shaken him, startling him terribly from where he had previously been peacefully reading. 

Much to Dream’s surprise and utter delight, a long and rather soft looking black tail had appeared as if from no where, which was now lashing around angrily as George chewed him out on knocking before entering. 

“Are you even listening Dream? What the hell was that for?” George said, raising an eyebrow as he waited for a response. When he garnered nothing from the other, he reached out and waved a hand in front of the other’s eyes. “Dream! What are you looking at!” 

It was then that he turned and saw the tail. 

Anyone who called George a drama queen would quite possibly be right. 

He passed out on sight of the tail. 

Around half an hour later when he came to, he faced countless questions from Bad (I didn’t think it would be cross species shifting! Can you try again? Have you tried other animals?); endless teasing from Sapnap (a cat tail? That’s hilarious- catboy George!); and plenty of wheezing laughter from Dream (I don’t think anyone needs and example of what laughing sounds like). 

George ended up fleeing to his mother from the trio, who seemed to be able to keep eachother entertained for at least a short while. He sat himself on his parent’s bed, watching his mother as she put on makeup. She was preparing for a dinner party that she was attending later that night with George’s father, something about the various vineyards he owned across different islands. 

“How come you never told me about this? About the whole prophecy thing? If you always knew.” George asked, breaking the comfortable silence they had been in. Laura sighed quietly, looking over at him from where she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. 

“I’ve known for a long time about this my dear.” She said as she applied mascara with a careful hand. “I just never knew if it was really true.” She added after a moment. 

He nodded even though she wasn’t looking. 

“You know, I was always afraid it would be your brother.” She said quietly, pausing what she was doing to look at her son. 

“Tubbo?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Tommy.” 

George frowned slightly, playing with the hem of his shirt. “So you don’t think he had powers?” He asked, feeling unexplainably guilty.

“Oh no, I’m absolutely sure he has at least some form of magical capabilities even if they lay dormant for now.” She explained, exiting the bathroom whilst fastening a pearl necklace. 

“I understand it’s difficult between you two at the moment, and you’ve both said bad things to each other,” she paused. “But please can you make it up with him. He might be the only one you have eventually.” 

And so, after a lot of rationalizing with himself, that’s what George found himself going to do.

George paused outside his brother’s bedroom door, the childish letters spelling out Tommy’s name patronising him as he hesitated to knock. 

he pushed down the nauseated feeling that was rising in his throat before knocking once and opening the door slightly, before he could chicken out. he put his head round the door and tired blue eyes glared back at him from where his brother was sat on his unmade bed. 

“hey.” George said quietly, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the room. 

Tommy’s expression hardened.

“hey yourself.” he responded with no real malice, though his mien might disagree. Tommy shut the book that was open on the bed- a leather bound diary with many written pages from what George could see.

Almost two hours later when Laura called them all for supper, the two appeared at the dinner table side by side, identical tear tracks and red blotches on each of their faces, and more importantly a somewhat healed relationship. They continued to have their differences, but after a long talk and some desperately needed catching up- and even some emotional vulnerability- the two looked at eachother across the dinner table with understanding in their eyes. 

Each night, Dream and George had slept in George’s bedroom, despite relentless teasing from Tubbo, Sapnap and now Tommy, after he was filled in by Tubbo on the hilarious antics that had occurred on the first day. 

the two slept close to one another, george would nestle himself next to the other comfortably, and dream held him close with a gentle grip. 

the late nights were warm in the grecian summer, the warm air filtering in through open windows, gently wafting through the room. it was only twenty minutes after the two retreated to bed that george turned to face dream, poking his face gently. 

dream opened his eyes to look at him with confusion evident on his face. 

“do you want do something fun?” george whispered, looking oddly mischievous. dream raised an eyebrow.

“georgie, i dont know what you’re suggesting,” he paused for a moment. “but we are under the same roof as your parents” 

george reddened. “you perv!” he whispered with as much force as he could. “that is not what i was thinking! theres somewhere i want to take you, but its quite a walk from here,” he explained.

“can’t we just go in the morning?” dream said, a light whining tone to his whisper. george shook his head, already rolling out of the sheets and tugging on a t-shirt better suited for being outside. 

fifteen minutes (and a lot of shushing each other’s rather loud giggles) the two were outside, and george was gripping dreams hand like a lifeline as they descended some rather steep steps down the side of a cliff that bordered a wide expanse of beach. The sand was black- a naturally occurring phenomenon native to perissa and a popular tourist attraction. The sky was clear of clouds; a dark blue pool of bright stars reflected in the dark water of the sea. The smell of saltwater permeated the air, and the sound of the tide was regular and peaceful. 

Just to get there, they had walked through countless rows of identical streets, either side of the roads hugged by pretty villas and olive trees. they had laughed too loudly considering they were out at around one in the morning, but in the moment they could hardly bring themselves to care as they danced like kids through the town. 

dream let go of george’s hand and jumped the last few steps, his bare (he had kicked off his sandals) feet meeting the cool sand below. George hopped down a moment later, grinning at the other from where he stood. 

“Race you to the water!” George said, giving the other no time before he was racing off towards the sea, stripping off his shirt and pants as he went. Dream may not have had a head start, but he was the first to hit the water, wading in a little slower when he realized that just because the night air was warm, doesn’t mean the sea would be. George tottered over moments later, a little out of breath as goosebumps raised over his arms. He grinned up at the blonde, his teeth chattering slightly. 

“Beat you,” Dream said simply. He seemed satisfied with himself, and George was not having that as he jumped onto the other in an attempt to push him into the cool water. George obviously didn’t think this through, as instead of pushing the other under, he might as well have been trying to push a statue. 

Dream laughed loudly, before twisting slightly to grab George’s shoulders and slamming him into the water without hesitation. George came back up sputtering slightly with a scowl on his face. 

“I hate you” he said. He watched as Dream dunked himself down for a moment before coming up for air, blond hair wet and sticking to his face. 

“You love me,” he replied, taking George’s waist by hand. George reddened slightly but allowed himself to be pulled closer by the other, looking up through wet lashes as he was drawn in for a kiss. He was lifted slightly, both by the water and Dream’s hands on his waist as their lips connected again, the heat between their bodies sufficient enough in keeping them warm despite the cold sea. 

The two spent almost twenty minutes in their tight embrace, holding eachother against the gentle tide, before George pulled away from Dream’s lips as his teeth chattered a little to violently to resume making out. His lips were beginning to turn blue, and both of them were shivering despite the warm air as the water sapped their body heat. 

The water evaporated fairly quickly in the dry summer air, and they redressed, giggling like children at each other as they tumbled across the sand together on the deserted beach. There were moments when their lips would collide again and it felt like nothing else in the world existed, no prophecy, no threat of war, no magic, just the two of them and the silky grains they rested on. 

“Look at this,” Dream said quietly, holding something out in his hand towards the brunet, who was slightly further down the beach at the time, scouring the sand for shells. George skipped over, peering into his hand. 

“It’s a crystal!” He gazed, mouth hanging open. “I’ve never found one round here before,” he said in surprise. 

Dream grinned. “It’s for you,” he said, holding his hand slightly flatter in motion for the other to take it. George accepted it with a blush as he mumbled something about collecting more shells for Bad and Sapnap and shuffled off back down the sand in embarrassment.

They fell asleep lying on the sand, limbs tangled as the sun began its slow climb over the horizon, entering the new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked it! I think this chapter had a lot of substance to it, so that’s cool right? 
> 
> Pls comment, that would be #epic of you, but if not have a really great day and I’ll catch you next chapter :D


	14. ceraunophilia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit hits the fan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy how are you besties  
> i hope ur good, im good (?) and i have another chapter for you *gasp* prepare yourselves for this one,
> 
> [edit] I came back and replaced capital letters and corrected spelling. This ones was supposed to be longer, especially towards the end so I may come back and add more later idk 
> 
> i would love to be the type to be like "hey guys, heres a list of songs that this fic is based off of" but if im honest, my music taste is all over, and the stuff i listen to when i write this is bloody ridiculous. so rip that idea ig maybe ill do it for my other fic?? idk, this feels like shameless self promotion, but as the name suggests i am shameless
> 
> anyways i passed out today im so quirky idk when ill learn to stop oversharing on the internet
> 
> heres the story, enjoy!

14 

The two awoke the next morning as the sun inched its way up the clear blue sky. George woke first, rousing Dream with a gentle shake and quiet words whispered close to his ear. 

The two made the path back up the cliff as discreetly as possible, taking the backstreets and keeping the noise to a minimum to avoid attracting too much attention. They reached the villa as the clock struck 6:32 am, and they crept through to the kitchen, trailing sand as they went. 

It was 6:37 when Tommy trudged in on the sight of the two rather dishevelled looking boys eating cheap cereal out of one bowl between them. The blond raised an eyebrow.

“Busy night?” He asked suggestively, going to pour his own bowl of cereal, only to have the box snatched away by George who poured their shared seconds. 

“You bet,” Dream said as he shovelled another mouthful of cocoa pops into his already full mouth. Tommy snorted slightly, attempting to keep his laughter quiet in consideration of everyone else in the house currently asleep.

“Alright big d, you take care of my brother,” he called over his shoulder as he left the room with a can of diet coke- which George silently disapproved of at 6am- and an impressively large bowl of green grapes. Dream almost spat out his mouthful of cereal when Tommy called him big d, and George was left patting him on the back not quite gently enough as he realised what Tommy must have been alluding to when he asked if they had a ‘busy night’. 

They got through six bowls of cereal collectively- though admittedly Dream certainly pulled more than George did- before they were shuffling up the stairs in silent companionship, shushing each other with every creak of the wooden steps.

When they reached George’s room- after likely waking up half of the house- George immediately fell onto the bed in a dramatic fashion, displaying his exhaustion outright as he proceeded to fall unconscious almost straight away- if his quiet snores were anything to go by. Dream chuckled to himself at the brunet’s antics, before covering the other with the duvet and heading into the en suite to rake a comb through his uncomfortably sandy hair and brush his teeth. 

After he was satisfied with his hygiene (despite the sand that clung to his hair even after he brushed it multiple times) he left George’s room, knocking three times on Tubbo’s door. He needed to speak to Bad- yes, at 7am. The door swung open after a moment, and a rather bleary-eyed brunet stood in front of Dream in confusion. 

“Hey Tubbo, I need to speak to Bad,” Dream said, far too upbeat for Tubbo’s liking as he sighed and motioned for Dream to come in as he climbed back into his own bed, pointing Dream over to the other bed where Bad was mumbling quietly in his sleep under green sheets. Dream shot a thumbs up at the teen, but he was already half asleep, a tuft of brown hair visible above the duvet. 

The friendship between Dream, Sapnap and Bad was close, close enough even that they had absolutely no respect for each other’s quality of sleep, as Dream yanked the sheets away from Bad after realizing that gently shaking him wouldn’t suffice. 

The brunet groaned quietly as he sat up, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table as he ran a hand through his hair. 

“Dream? What do you want?” He said, his voice thick with drowsiness. He blinked a few times to become accustomed to the light. 

“I wanted to know what the progress is like on the whole preparation thing is?” 

Bad blinked a few more times, looking incredulously upon the man who decided to wake him up at 7am just to ask something that could absolutely wait until he was at least two coffees into the day. 

“Seriously?” He asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to soothe the building pressure in his sinuses. Dream nodded, grinning like he hadn’t just pissed off one of his closest friends. “It’s all ready to leave whenever you are.” 

Dream grinned wider, his smile bright and careless as he hopped off of Bad’s bed in order to let the boy sleep for a little while longer. 

“Wonderful! Thanks!” He called behind him as he left the room. 

Bad did not, in fact, go back to sleep. 

As soon as Dream had left, Tubbo poked his head above the covers, skepticism masked by curiosity as he peered at the other brunet. 

“You’re nowhere near finished are you?” He said, amusement evident in his tone. Bad shook his head in exasperation with a small sigh. He had already climbed out of bed, in favour of flipping through a book on plants with healing properties, trying to determine wether to bring it or if Dream’s powers would be enough. Tubbo laughed airily, rolling out of his own covers and wandering over. “Don’t take that one, take the one about healing powers to optimise Dream’s.” 

Bad laughed quietly. “I’ve already packed that one.” Tubbo hummed in response, nodding his head. 

“You’re a smart kid, you know?” Bad said, his gaze softening on the younger. Tubbo tilted his head a little to the left. “It’s a shame you have to be so involved in the war this way.” He finished, a sympathetic smile playing on his lips. 

“I suppose you’re right, but I want to help in any way that I can,” Tubbo answered, smiling at Bad without hesitation. “I want to come with you.” He added after a moment of silence. 

Bad shook his head almost immediately. “Absolutely not. It’s incredibly dangerous. You will be so much better off staying here, I can’t risk you coming with us.” 

Tubbo’s expression twisted into his own reserved form of outraged indignance as he glared up at the brunet. “Tommy is going with you,” he spat, crossing his arms as he waited for an explanation on why both of his brothers were leaving. 

Bad raised an eyebrow- he hadn’t heard of a certain blond being included in their plans. “What do you mean..?” he asked carefully, hoping the other would explain. Tubbo nodded furiously. 

“Sapnap said he could tag along,” he replied with a shrug. Bad was a little stunned. Tubbo could sense that the other was processing this, and had the rather smart foresight to spin around and dash off, presumably to warn both Tommy and Sapnap of Bad’s impending wrath. 

Speaking of Sapnap, he had been awake for a short while- maybe ten to fifteen minutes- reading and rereading a letter from Karl that had been dropped off by a wind spirit sometime in the night. 

My dearest Nick 

I hope you know I wouldn’t have left you if I didn’t absolutely have to. Even the non-magical folk can sense trouble brewing, and it’s causing many problems with trades and air traffic. So many in fact that all commercial and business air travel has been suspended until Hermes gives the go ahead. Even land travel is restricted, as I’m sure Bad already knows, and I am sending this letter in the hopes you receive it as even communication is being effected by Mercury’s slower path through retrograde than usual. I fear that this is truly Herme’s doing, by result of preparation for war. Be careful, and be mindful of communication and transportation as it is all kinds of Honked up right now. I rEally Love you Nick. Please stay safe, I will rejoin your group as soon as possible. 

Much love, Karl. 

Sapnap must have read the letter almost twenty times over, fixating on every word. Yes, he had already known about mercury’s disruption, if the worldwide internet crisis had anything to say about it-but even still he found himself irrationally angry at Karl. Surely he was more important than some stupid trade deal? Sapnap sighed, casting the letter onto the bed as he got up to see Dream, reasoning with himself silently that Karl had good reason for his absence, and that he would be back soon. His stomach twisted at the thought of making the journey without him though. 

Sapnap made his way into the kitchen, where he found Laura making pancakes, and Tommy and Tubbo chatting amicably over theirs. Tubbo had piled his high with various fruits and Tommy drenched his in an unspeakable amount of syrup. Sapnap took a seat at the table, and placed a few pancakes on a plate from the centre of the spread of food. 

Periodically, Laura would make her way over with even more pancakes, until Sapnap wasnt sure where she was even getting enough ingredients from to make them. 

“Do you know when Dream and George will be down?” she said as she sat down next to her youngest son, scolding him for the amount of syrup he was consuming. Tommy snorted around his mouthful. 

“Not anytime soon, they had a busy night last night” he said with a snicker. “Dream’s words not mine,” he added after a moment before shovelling yet more pancaked into his mouth. 

“They what?” Laura gasped, trying to stop herself from laughing as she stared in shock at the boy. Sapnap and Tubbo were silently laughing, each of them trying not to choke around their breakfast. 

As if fate and coincidence had made a deal, Dream stumbled into the room, looking as dopey as ever. 

“Pancakes?” he asked with a grin, sliding into the seat next to sapnap, oblivious to the faux glare being shot at him by Laura. 

When George walked into the kitchen- about as sleepy as a person can be mind you- he didnt notice the way that they all stared at him like he was some kind of zoo animal, until he too took a seat at the table- on Dream’s lap. his tired eyes met the surprised gaze of Tubbo and he frowned.

“What?” 

“So, George, what did you and Dream get up to last night?” George raised an eyebrow as he twisted his neck to look at Dream briefly, and then back to the others again. 

“What do you mean?” He mumbled, picking apart one of Dream’s pancakes with his fingers. 

“George Davidson, you know exactly what i mean” Laura said, trying to keep up the angry mother facade as it cracked with her obvious amusement. 

“Hey,” George raised his hands defensively, “i dont know what Dream’s been telling you, but all we did last night was visit the beach.” He paused, munching on a piece of pancake. “I’m still a child of the gods.”

There was a pregnant pause. 

“Wait Dream… so you didnt screw my brother?” Laughter erupted from all sides at Tommy’s innocent question, as he looked absolutely horrified about his misunderstanding of the situation. In fairness to him, Dream didnt understand his obvious social cues, but even still, the situation was hilarious. 

Dream felt George stiffen as someone else entered the room. It was a middle aged man, one who ignored the ruckus at the table in favour of reaching for the coffee pot sat next to the sink and pouring himself a mug. It was the same man featured in plenty of family photographs scattered around the house. The laughter quieted almost immediately, as the energy in the room completely changed. The already air conditioned room became impossibly colder, and the three davidson boys fell completely silent, avoiding eye contact with anyone but each other. 

“Wouldja keep it down? A mans gotta sleep,” the guy said, after drinking a significant amount of his cup of coffee. Laura smiled with thin lips. 

“Of course dear. Didn’t you have something you wanted to tell the boys?” She asked politely. Her tone of voice had become far more elegant, and her posture had become significantly less relaxed.

“Yeah.” He paused for a second. “Family dinner. Tonight, just us five,” he spoke loudly, ignorant of Dream and Sapnaps presence. “none of these weirdo guests George brought back with him.” he added over his shoulder on his way out of the room. George shivered slightly when he was out of sight, and neither of his brothers wanted to be the first to start the conversation again. 

“Please excuse my husband. He is a very… busy man.” Laura said quietly, beginning to collect empty plates to wash up. “Anyways, you kids should skidaddle. I have a feeling youre planning to leave soon.” She added after another moment’s silence. 

Schlatt was in fact a very busy man. He ran an incredibly successful chain of vineyards, and had imports going out all over the world. He was in a worse mood than usual, having been woken by a string of urgent calls from employees informing him of the current situation in transport, as it went down all over the world, and then after that the ridiculousness that was the internet buffering so badly, he couldn’t reach anyone to change plans. 

His day could not have gone worse. a  
All he could hear was his kids running around and making ridiculous amounts of noise, along with their guests causing chaos. He didnt even know why there were more people living in his house, he would even go as far as to say he preferred it when his eldest wasn’t there. 

By the time the evening rolled around, silence fell as he seated himself at the dinner table, and he was almost a bottle of red wine deep in what was hopefully going to be a smooth night. Quiet music filtered through the kitchen, and he looked around at the uncomfortable expressions on his family’s faces. 

“Lighten up kids, i want to see some smiles. Its just us for once,” he said, slight intoxication spurring him on. 

George stared blankly at the food on his plate. He had spent the entire day with his brothers and friends, finishing the preparations for their trip. They were ready to leave, and planned to the next morning. He zoned out completely as soon as he sat down with his brothers, ignoring his father in favour of contemplating their future. Bad had been adamant in his decision about Tommy and Tubbo staying behind, much to the boys’ outrage, each of them having yelled for a good twenty minutes why they should be allowed to tag along. it took some convincing, but Bad relented on Tommy, reasoning that he had undiscovered powers that could be useful, but he didnt budge in regards to Tubbo, resulting in the brunet sulking as he pushed a piece of roast chicken around on his plate; Tommy happily munching away on his own beside him. 

The ‘family’ ate in silence after Schlatt’s comment, and the meal was mostly peaceful. that was until Schlatt decided to ask why exactly he had three strangers staying in his house. 

The three boys froze as they tried to come up with an answer to the simple question, Tommy even stuttered slightly when he opened his mouth. “Theyre- theyre sight seeing?” He said, but he didnt sound all too sure of his own answer. 

George nodded quickly, attempting to make up for the terrible bluff. “They’re close friends of mine, touring Greece.” Schlatt narrowed his eyes. 

“I thought I told you not to lie to me boy.” He said darkly, voice low. George’s eyes widened as the whole room froze as if time stood still. 

“Boys, would you be so kind as to leave the room. Your father and i need to talk” Laura murmured, mostly towards George as she fixed a sharp glare on her husband. George certainly didnt need to be told twice as he scrambled out of his seat, closely followed by Tubbo and Tommy. they almost collided with Sapnap, who definitely hadn’t been listening in on the awkward family dinner while Bad and Dream finalised packing. 

“We’re leaving now,” George muttered, walking straight up the stairs, leaving a stunned Sapnap in his wake. 

“Wait.. now now?” Tommy called, rushing after him with a slight grin spreading on his face. 

“Yes,” George said curtly, “before dad gets… violent again.” 

The group of four burst into the room where Bad had slowly accumulated all the things he wanted to bring. He and Dream had put it all in neat piles ready to be picked up in the morning. each of them had personal belongings, as well as a shared number of bags needed to be distributed around them. They were all given a talisman with the sigil of good fortune by Laura a few days ago, and she had even helped bad to cast a protection circle around the villa, so when they left it wasnt at risk.

“We’re leaving now, come on.” George said, already beginning to layer himself up with the things on his pile.

They didn’t question George, and instead followed Bad’s directions on who should carry what. 

Bad hurriedly shoved bags into each of their arms, there was at least a few for each of them to carry, but they were still running on the light side of things concerning baggage.

Tubbo had cried when he said goodbye to his brothers, having received a rather affectionate ruffle of his hair from Sapnap, and a hug from Tommy. 

“I wish I could come with you,” he sobbed, tears rolling slowly down his cheeks. 

“We’ll see you soon Toby, remember that. You need to keep mum safe okay?” Tommy said to him with a sad smile. Tubbo nodded and they exchanged a final hug with no words.

The air felt stiflingly hot on George’s already reddened face as they fled the villa. The five were running down the street when George heard a quiet shout of “be safe” and then the abrupt shutting of a heavy door. 

A few blocks away from their house, a lanky brunet stood in the middle of the street, absentmindedly strumming a guitar with no real pattern nor purpose. He turned to face the group when their footsteps halted on sight of him. His face cracked into a smile. 

“Hello Georgie. Long time no see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay cool, thats another one over with. its a bit shite im sorry lmaoo
> 
> you might have noticed that the ? in the number of chapters section has changed to 22. this is not definite, there may be less, or there may be more, all i know is that that is my estimate for how many chapters remain. dont worry, this will NOT be the end at all. there will be a second multi-chapter instalment in the series, along with plenty of oneshots set both before and after the current storyline takes place. please give me opinions on this, im really nervous about starting a whole new fic to begin the next arc.. the current one is going to have a rather big finale and i think its fitting to end the current fic there?? idk, pls help and tell me what u think?
> 
> pls comment, i really appreciate it, especially constructive criticism and suggestions for further character/plot development. i especially love the comments where you theorise whats going to happen next, they always make me laugh maniacally because i know and you dont kkjhghjkjhjk /lh
> 
> P.s next chapter might take a little while :(
> 
> anyways, drink water thots ily <3
> 
> 40.090549, 22.361469


	15. Akrasia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back bitches 
> 
> So like I took a little mental health break that did absolutely *nothing* 
> 
> This chapter is kinda on the short side, but a chapters a chapters a chapters a chapter right? You get it. 
> 
> Uhh yeah. The next part will probably be out in a couple days but like no promises lol 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy :p

George and Wilbur were childhood friends, having grown up on the same street, gone to the same schools, shared the same mutual friends, even being self proclaimed ‘besties’ for years. They shared many fond memories, both good and bad, featuring tooth losses, breakups, delinquency and the like. 

It was an evening some time in September, Wilbur had just turned fifteen, and they were in George’s basement, a movie neither were interested in playing in the background. Like everyday, they had returned from school to hang out with no real purpose, just for the inane sense of companionship that kept them from going crazy in the monotony of their teenage years. 

George was laying on his back across the cheap sofa, fingers playing with the knitted blanket draped across him. Wilbur was sat on the floor, strumming an old acoustic guitar lazily, playing nothing in particular. 

“George when we grow up, we’re going to go on so many adventures together,” Wilbur said, rousing George from his drowsiness as he climbed up onto the sofa with him. 

George peeked through one eye at the other. “Sure, tons of trips and stuff.” 

Wilbur nodded enthusiastically as George sat up, shaking away the dozy feeling that had come over him with an instinctual shiver. The two looked at eachother for a moment before bursting into uncontrolled laughter, giggling for absolutely no reason. 

That was the last time the two laughed together for a while. 

An argument was one way to put it, but if you asked any of the pair’s classmates, they would probably phrase it as a screaming match between two unhinged idiots. The rumours spiralled, and no one really knew what happened, only that one said something to the other that caused a full on row where they both said rather offensive and expository things about each other in front of multiple people. Their explosive tempers matched roared to meet the other, and they didn’t stop yelling until someone else intervened. George swore he was over it. 

But as the group stood facing the brunet, George wondered if he was really over it.

“I thought you left.” George said quietly, avoiding Wilbur’s eyes as he studied the boy in front of him. He wasn’t surprised to see him wearing the same stupid brown trench coat he had worn for years throughout high school, nor was he surprised to see his sporting a black eye and a split lip. He hadn’t changed.

The brunet shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “I thought you left.” Wilbur echoed back to him, perfect teeth peeking out from his patronising smile.

“I did.” George replied coldly, eyes narrowed in hostility. Dream shifted a little beside him, glancing back and forth between the two. 

“But you came back,” Wilbur grinned, twisting the figurative knife. 

“Not for you,” 

“Obviously,” Wilbur scoffed. Dream could practically feel George shaking beside him. “they finally told you the prophecy huh,”

George nodded slowly. “You knew?” 

“Know? I’m coming with you,” At this, Bad raised an eyebrow.

“Dude, George doesn’t even trust you, why would you come with us?” Sapnap questioned, confusion evident on his face. 

A moment passed in tense silence, before Tommy stepped forward, expression set in determination. 

“I invited him.” He admitted, stepping towards the brunet with a fond grin, ignorant of the awkwardness in the hot summer air. “Wilbur has healing powers like Dream.” 

Dream grew visibly uncomfortable, but Tommy hadn’t finished speaking. “He could be useful to us. Plus, i trust him.” 

Before anyone else could respond, Sapnap was shaking his head. “No.” 

“I wouldn’t want to put another person in danger,” Bad said quietly, pitying gaze set upon the two. 

“We’re pushing it by even bringing you Toms,” George deadpanned, cold stare centred on Wilbur, not deviating even when Dream pulled him in slightly closer to his side with an arm around his waist. 

“I can help you,” Wilbur reinforced, charming smile softening his face. George narrowed his eyes. 

“We don’t need any extra help.” Dream supplied, attempting to ease the tension in the air as Wilbur and George seemed to be executing a stare off. 

“Wait... Guys maybe we should hear him out,” Bad interrupted, and George immediately shook his head, opening his mouth to argue before being cut off by Bad again. “No, no, if he can handle himself we could do with as much help as possible.” 

“Fine.” George snapped, fiddling with the collar of his shirt between his fingers. He could feel Wilbur’s eyes burning into him as the group converged and began to head in the right direction, the silence thick with awkward unease. 

As the sun dragged its way across the sky, the group breached the limits of perissa, venturing into the hilly grasslands of the land between villages. Despite the sun beating down on them relentlessly, and the thick silence no one wanted to be the first to break, the group moved resiliently, not taking rest until the rumbling of their empty stomachs became too much to bear. 

They sat at the base of a rather steep hill, tucking into rich olive bread and grapes as they collected themselves and rehydrated. 

“It sucks we have to walk all this way.” Tommy muttered at one point, between bites of bread, contempt clear in his voice. 

“If you weren’t prepared to walk you shouldn’t have come,” George snapped, glaring at the other from where he sat beside Dream. Bad furrowed his brows at the notion that they would be dealing with sibling quarrels throughout the journey- he had enough bickering from Sapnap and Dream alone, he certainly didn’t need it from all sides. 

“Just because Hermes is a little pissed at the moment doesn’t mean he should throw Mercury totally off course and fuck up transport literally all over the world.” Tommy muttered, partially to himself. Sapnap’s stomach twisted slightly at the reiteration of the screwed up transportation, his mind immediately going to Karl, who was at that minute doing whatever he could to make it back to them, even with almost every form of transport and communication out of bounds. 

The group fell into their heavy silence once more as they finished their meal, leaving a little bread as a meagre offering for those who had patron gods and matron goddesses. They continued walking the undulating countryside even as the air grew cool with the setting of the sun, the sky streaked with rubine red like someone had taken to it rather gracelessly with a paintbrush. 

When the group finally settled for the night, they found themselves in a rocky overhang, a cavelike structure formed in the side of a stony hill. They each had a sleeping bag, and multiple blankets in case they grew cold, even with the dim fire spitting warm embers in the low light. 

George sat against the cold wall of the cavern, eyes fixed on the dancing flame as it flickered gently with the breeze. Dream had already fallen asleep, fingers intertwined with his own, laying next to him on the rough floor. 

Sapnap was at the furthest point from the entrance, a tattered piece of paper clutched in his hand, even though he had long been asleep. Left over tear streaks stained his face, and George wondered if he had meant to fall asleep on his other side to conceal them. 

Wilbur and Tommy were asleep next to each other, Tommy snoring quietly as he lay on his back. Wilbur on the other hand, had his back to the group, but George could tell he was unconscious by the slow, rhythmic expanding of his ribs and the lack of movement otherwise. 

Bad was the only other person awake, scribbling something quickly in the same journal he was always scribbling in. 

“Bad,” George whispered, just loud enough to be heard over the crackle of the flames, but not so loud as to wake the sleeping blond next to him. The brunet looked up in confusion, obviously having thought he was the only one up. 

“Yes George?” 

“What do you actually think the future holds,” George asked, looking more anxious than he would care to admit he felt. 

Bad sighed quietly. “Honestly? I have no idea. There are so many things that could go wrong with this quest,” he replied, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he blinked at the other brunet. 

“Firstly, we don’t even fully know how to interpret that prophecy, there are so many things that have happened that probably shouldn’t have,” With that, George glanced momentarily at Wilbur, but doesn’t interrupt Bad as he continues speaking.

“Secondly, this is incredibly dangerous. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I have my entire life’s worth of magical experience, let alone you who’s completely new to this. You have to understand that ending this war will most certainly come with a price, a hefty one considering the forces at stake.” Bad murmured, a grave look overcoming his soft features. George nodded, humming slightly in response. 

“I’m prepared to die for this, George. I have been all my life. But you need to ask yourself if you’re okay with making terrible choices for the greater good.” Bad finished with a sympathetic smile. “I may not know what the future holds, but I do know that the future comes down to you. That much I’m sure of.” 

George blinked slowly. It was a lot to take in for his burnt out mind. A week ago, he was living in his blissfully unaware world, applying for mundane jobs and checking if his water bill was too high for him to pay again. 

“Goodnight George. Think about what I said, yeah?” Bad whispered, settling down in his sleeping bag at the mouth of the cave. 

“Goodnight.” George muttered, blank eyes unseeing as they gazed into the slowly dying fire. His mind raced with complicated thoughts, too fast for him to process anything. Was he prepared to die for this cause? To die for the world? Was he prepared to sacrifice everything he had ever known only for it to stay the same anyway? Could he even comprehend the reason for anything- why was he chosen for this, why was there a war anyway, why couldn’t it be someone else? 

He told himself to stop being so selfish, that if he didn’t do it, no one would. He told himself he was being irrational- he didn’t know if he would have to die anyway, and on the chance that he didn’t there was no use in worrying. He told himself to shut up, that it didn’t matter anyway because if it had already been prophecised, he obviously didn’t have free will in the matter anyway. 

The fear building in his chest manifested as extreme nausea, and he almost tripped over Bad as he rushed out of the cave to hurl up their pathetic dinner of cold soup. The night air was comforting on his hot face, and he stared up at the clear sky in desperation. The stars glittered idly in the indigo sky, grains of sand washed upon the shore of the universe.

When George finally returned to the cave- not after staring at the sky for a while- the fire had burnt itself out, the embers glowing as they smouldered into nothing. He slipped into his sleeping bag, and Dream stirred slightly behind him, wriggling to get closer to the other. Wether it was because of a source of body heat, or because Dream could sense that George was distressed, he didn’t know. 

George dreamt of dying that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I am exhausted 
> 
> So I was gonna write the argument between George and Wilbur in detail but then I was like “wtf would I even say they argued about?? Better make it vague and annoying to read” 
> 
> Yeah anyways I’m kinda useless at this writing thing at the moment. It would be hella cool if you could check out my other fic thought!! Also, comments are totally appreciated, I literally love them more than I love Greek mythology (and that’s a lot) 
> 
> N e ways, pls comment, ily

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Did you enjoy it? Please comment any suggestions / corrections / theories / critiques / compliments!  
> Have a nice day!! Chapter 2 should be out very very soon :)


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